Ultimate Spider-Man: Specter Haven
by Aferus
Summary: The continuation to Ultimate Spider-Man: The Phantom. Spider-Man and White Tiger join Phantom in his mission to find the three other mutants that were created under the Athena-Class Projects to recruit into the secret group sanctioned by the Avengers, Specter Haven, while also evading Magneto's new form of hunter mutants, the "Wraiths", who have powers similar to Phantom's.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer****: **I do not own the Ultimate Spider-Man™ series, Ultimate Spider-Man™ is a sole trademark of Marvel Animation Studios.

**Author's Note****: **This story is a continuation of _Ultimate Spider-Man: The Phantom_. As referenced by the OC created in the previous story, Phantom is not an actual superhero within the Marvel universe. The rest of the characters included in the story follow directly under the storyline that the previous story has outlined, not following any episode in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV show, nor a continuation of any of the episodes in Season 3. **It's suggested you read up on the first story before proceeding with this one**, otherwise, comments and reviews are appreciated, and I will be updating the story as often as I can as it goes along. Thank you to the readers who suggested I write a sequel to this story, I couldn't stop at the first one, the story is still too good for me to pass up! Thanks again, and enjoy!

* * *

_**Prologue**_

A dark thunderstorm brewed over a secure compound, a formation of attack helicopters flying overhead as a tall and black helmed character marched through the outside of the fenced compound, escorted by a mysterious grey hooded character and several armed guards.

A pair of guard dogs began barking at the approaching characters, causing the grey hooded character to stop and stare the two dogs down. They began whimpering as the hooded man glared down upon them. He turned and continued marching next to his accomplice towards the fenced gate.

One of the armed guards approached the fenced gate and displayed an identification card to the guard that was on the other side of the fence. The guard nodded as he opened the gate up, allowing the mysterious visitors to enter the compound.

The armed escort waited at the gate as one of the guards guided the helmed man and the hooded character towards a large building. The guard opened the steel door with several warning signs next to it and beckoned his followers to enter.

Inside was a large dark-lit room full of rows and rows of cages, some covered with a tarp, others open and able to see whatever was inside: strange, pale human-like creatures. The deformed figures glared upon the visitors who entered, and screeched a disturbing and disembodied sound as they walked past, following the armed guard.

The guard stopped at a specific row of cages.

"Ten subjects have been injected with the serum you've provided and are ready for field testing." The guard stated to the helmed man, who stopped to stare at the humanoid creatures that kneeled inside their cages.

They had pale skin, no hair on their bodies, and they studied their master intensively, as though they were trying to figure out who it was. Their nails stretched out into gnarly claws and their teeth had sharpened. The most distinctive feature was their cold eyes that lacked an iris and its pupil. They were simply white and lifeless, zombielike.

"They look… promising." The hooded figure told the helmed man. "What do you think, Magneto?"

Magneto studied the creature as it approached closer to him, the armed guard watching closely with his weapon ready in case the creature were to attack. "Can they display the abilities we had hoped for them to have?" He sternly asked the guard.

"Yes and their sense of smell can track down anything within a twenty mile radius." The guard politely replied. "All they need is armor and a tracking chip in order for them to be at your disposal."

"Excellent." Magneto looked at his hooded ally. "We will send these after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations, starting with their Agent Coulson, so that we may learn of what they're up to and see what they've planned."

"They do not have the healing factor…" His hooded ally skeptically replied regarding the creatures. "They are susceptible to death."

"I understand that. That is why we are still in experimental stages of the serum, but we are almost there. The Phantom's blood sample has advanced our serum years past what I had imagined, but we still need more time." Magneto replied confidently. "I'll make sure Sabretooth monitors them closely, rest assured, we'll find out what S.H.I.E.L.D. is planning... along with finding our disappearing friend."

"Very well…" The hooded character glanced over at the intimidating creature. "Your 'Wraiths' will make excellent foot soldiers if you can control them effectively…"

"They will be." Magneto responded confidently. "There is no denying that."

"If I had known about this in my time... then the future might've played out a lot different than what it did..." The mysterious hooded man calmly told Magneto. "It pleases me that our alliance has made this possible"

"Agreed." Magneto nodded. "However, I wager that these 'Wraiths'... will be seeing your close friend very soon."

"Of that we can be sure of... just remember... do _not_ kill him." The hooded man reminded him. "_You_ understand why..."

"Of course, of course..." Magneto slyly grinned within his helmet. "How can I forget such an important detail..."

"Because the past has proven that you tend to forget important details..." The hooded figure darkly answered.

* * *

Coulson sat in his office at Midtown High, typing away several reports back to the Headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. regarding the status of operations in this sector of the region they were monitoring. It was late into the night and the howling wind outside whistled through the edges of the windows.

He took a sip of his fresh-brewed coffee in between sentences, and as he wrapped up his report, he took out a folder full of classified paperwork. He opened it up and looked through the contents. It regarded the official S.H.I.E.L.D. statement towards Taskmaster's attack on Manhattan almost two months ago. They had to explain the severity of how large a force Taskmaster had brought with him, but in the official statements, S.H.I.E.L.D. was held responsible by the government for not being able to defend their own helicarrier.

"(Sighs), what a nightmare this has all been." Coulson said to himself with great grief as he put the folder away after glancing into it.

"The nightmare has only begun…" A familiar voice spoke inside the corner of his office. Coulson quickly picked up his sidearm from under his desk and aimed it towards where the voice spoke.

The black hooded character appeared before Coulson out of nothing, it was Phantom. "Relax, old friend, it's only me."

"Oh boy, don't scare me like that." Coulson put away his sidearm. "…with the heightened security risk S.H.I.E.L.D. has up, I suspect anybody's out to kill agents."

"Don't be so paranoid…" Phantom took a seat in front of his desk. "I don't think they'll come after you…"

"You'd be surprised." Coulson murmured. "It's not safe anymore now that we have sleeper agents in the organization. To whom they truly answer to, we might never know."

"I see…" Phantom leaned forward. "Then I'll get to the point, I'm heading off tomorrow at the latest to go find the mutants to recruit for Specter Haven."

"Wait, you're leaving already? Have you even prepared for the journey?" Coulson asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, that's what I've been doing over the weekend." Phantom calmly answered. "I need Spider-Man and his selected extra teammate to accompany me as soon as possible."

"I've already instructed them on that, they'll be ready tomorrow, don't worry." Coulson assured him.

"Good." Phantom stood back up. "Have you readied my gear at the Sanctuary?"

"Yes." Coulson nodded. "Everything you'll need, including your sword that S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to recover from the destroyed helicarrier."

"I appreciate it." Phantom smiled underneath his white mask, and then suddenly remembered something. "Have you also looked into… that matter I asked you about?"

"Your family is fine. Maria and Fernand have returned to work and Selena is continuing her classes here at the school. I'm keeping a close eye on them." Coulson told him with confidence.

"Thank you, old friend. I shall be at the Sanctuary." Phantom nodded as he disappeared into nothing, opening the front door and shutting it.

"I'll be here." Coulson continued typing away on his computer, looking at the time on his watch. "Maybe I should contact Parker and let him know to get ready for tomorrow. He turned on his communicator and tried contacting Peter Parker.

* * *

The communicator sounded off like an alarm clock on Peter's nightstand, the web-slinger opened his eyes from his deep sleep from his bed long enough to see it was Coulson calling, he reluctantly sat up to look at his communicator.

"Jeez, Coulson… go to sleep." He moaned. "Ugh… it might be important…"

**All right, well perhaps you're wondering what the heck's going on right now. I'll catch you up with it here in a second.**

"What, Coulson?" Peter grouched. "It's almost one in the morning… and we got school in a few hours!"

"I understand, Parker, sorry to contact you so late into the night. I just thought I'd remind you to get ready for the assignment tomorrow. I already came up with a written report for your Aunt May to read, you'll be going on a week-long field trip to the Rocky Mountains with your geology class, so make sure she knows that so that she doesn't have to worry about your whereabouts." Coulson explained.

"This couldn't have waited until later on?"

"The number of your late arrivals to class suggests you forget to set your alarm in the morning, so consider this your wake up call." Coulson smirked.

"Gee…Thanks." Peter sighed. "Is there anything else?"

"Who have you decided to take with you?"

Peter looked at the strip of pictures of both him and Ava sitting making faces in a photo booth, the last one was of them kissing. "I think I'm going to take White Tiger on this one, Coulson."

"_Of_ course… I didn't see _that_ one coming." Coulson sarcastically stated. "Just make sure your emotions don't interfere with this mission, Peter, it's very important."

"Don't worry Coulson, I got it." Peter assured him.

"Very well, I'll see you soon then, Parker." Coulson cut off the communications feed.

**Ugh… There is nothing worse than getting a "wake-up call" from Coulson at this time of night. I guess he meant well by it, but I'm up and awake now… Thanks Coulson.**

Peter looked through the pictures of his team that he had pinned on a corkboard, reminding him of the memories of adventures then and now that they've shared through their time together.

**I'll just start at the beginning, my name's Peter, Peter Parker. I'm just your normal everyday Midtown High student, with regular friends, like Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson, with average grades… and of course, a likely target of one of the school's dumbest jocks, Flash Thompson. It's a pretty ordinary teenage life, right?**

**Well, apart from school, I'm the web-slinging superhero everyone knows and loves, Spider-Man! Part of an amazing team that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury put in place so that we can fight crime wherever we found it, along with learning how to be better superheroes ourselves… something like the junior class of Avengers, if you will. **

**There's the human fortune-cookie K'un-L'un warrior king, Danny Rand, otherwise known as Iron Fist. He's one of the best hand to hand superheroes I've ever come across, and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end to one of his hard punches! But despite that, he's a really chill guy, loves meditating and is all around a great friend to have. **

**Luke Cage, the big guy we all call Powerman! A really cool superhero with indestructible skin and superhuman strength! He's got a good sense of style and stands up for what he really believes in, likes to resolve things through reason. A little hard-headed at times, but hey, he's one guy you want on your team at all times!**

**Ahh yes, then there's Sam Alexander, Nova, the last surviving member of the legendary Nova Corps, and the bucket-head of the team. If you can find a more obnoxious superhero around, please let me know, so that way I can pit the both of them together to see who would outmatch the other! Despite all that, he's pretty straight-forward about things, even though he's often a moron about it. He's a good friend, and knows when to get serious about things. But don't tell him I said that.**

**And then… there's Ava Ayala, White Tiger, the latest descendant in a line of White Tigers that have fought to defend and protect the Jade Tiger Amulet. She's an academic at heart, and is always striving to be better than the rest, even me. She's emotional when she's got to be, but she'll tell anyone off all the time. She's a great friend… and also my… significant other, if you haven't figured that out. **

**We've gone through some crazy missions together alongside S.H.I.E.L.D., through creeps like Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom, and even the Beetle. Though recently, we've had to fight Taskmaster and Deadpool, in what became an invasion of Manhattan by Taskmaster's army of trained mercenaries. **

**He was temporarily assisted by a mysterious mutant we discovered at a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the Amazon rainforest known as "The Archive", which contained every piece of information S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever held. But it also had a former agent called Alejandro Cruz locked away as a result of a failed experiment to create the perfect infiltrator mutant. We arrived on suspicion that the Archive was under attack, and it was, by none other than Taskmaster. He cornered us after he shot our aircraft down and nearly did us in, until Alejandro Cruz, now known as The Phantom came in to save us. **

**This guy is powerful, able to disappear and reappear into thin air, exceedingly good at hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and sword fighting, has a healing factor, and get this, he can read minds and enter your dreams… now **_**that's **_**crazy! When we first met him, he was concerned with trying to be turned back to a human again, because he left behind a wife sixteen years earlier before being taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. for a cure, but that cure never came. **

**He turned to Taskmaster in anger once he found out his wife had remarried on the belief that he was dead for almost two decades, and swore to kill Fury for allowing him to be locked away. Taskmaster offered him a spot in what was a huge conspiracy to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. by taking over Manhattan and holding it ransom. To make a long story short, he found out it was actually Taskmaster who was responsible for leading his wife to believe that he was dead, having been hired by Magneto, who was also responsible for the experiment that created Phantom; and so he turned on Taskmaster and we helped him get back at him. **

**I also forgot to mention that Deadpool was involved too! Before he left Taskmaster's side, he was able to pin an attack on the helicarrier on Fury, and S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ bought it and incarcerated him, so after we defeated Deadpool, he escaped and went after Fury, kidnapping him from his cell, and they've now disappeared.**

**Taskmaster escaped us on the helicarrier that he took over, having launched the nuclear engine on-board to almost explode over the city. Phantom had us escape before plunging the helicarrier into the Hudson River to cool down the engine, and we watched as it exploded into a thousand pieces. That was the last we ever saw of the Phantom.**

**It's been a month since that incident. We even had the Avengers help us take back the city, so it was no small undertaking. Fury's still captured and Phantom's long gone now… or so we think, we never found a body. But the city's slowly repairing itself in the wake of what happened, and my team and I have just been trying to get by with what little assignments Coulson throws at us, big ones being these huge training exercises in the simulation room on the Tri-carrier. **

**All in all, I'd like to think the threat with Taskmaster and Magneto is over, and that the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. got it under control, but I've been in this superhero business long enough to know that's not the case… or, in Fury's own words, "This ain't my first rodeo!" **

Peter slumped back into bed, trying to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Suddenly, his phone sounded off with a call incoming.

**Oh, come on…** **if it's Coulson again… **

It was Ava. "Hey Pete, are you up? Sorry… I just got a call from Coulson… jeez… he doesn't know when a good time to call us is…" She told him tiredly.

"I know…" Pete replied to her. "I guess he filled you in with what's going on?"

"Yeah… But a whole week on this assignment?... We've never even gone a day on an assignment without the whole team…" Ava wondered. "I can't sleep thinking on that."

"I wouldn't worry about it… It's probably some wild goose chase or something."

"Maybe… but if Coulson hasn't told us now, it means it's something bigger than that." Ava speculated.

"I guess. Maybe we're going to find Fury after all?"

"You know they'd send the whole team for that. Not even us, they'd send in the Avengers." Ava answered skeptically.

"Yeah, you're right." Peter yawned. "Ava, I'm going to hit the hay… I'm going to be so exhausted in the morning."

"All right, Pete. Sorry to have called you so late, just making sure you're good."

"Hey, I don't mind getting a call from you, you know that." Peter assured her heartedly.

"I know." Ava replied. "I'll see you soon, I love you."

"I love you too… Goodnight." Peter responded as he hung up the phone.

**Trust me, it still gets a little weird saying it after the long history she and I have as teammates. But I don't mind saying it at all! I just try to keep the superhero image professional you know?**

**Oh hell, what am I saying? We're everything BUT professionals! We're superheroes! … Teenage superheroes!**

* * *

The hooded mutant entered his personal room at the Sanctuary, a special and secret underground facility that Agents Coulson and Hill established as a safe-zone from the eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the case the organization would go rogue. Only the most absolutely trusted agents passed through here, and it was now Phantom's home.

_**A nice change from the cell I had been in for sixteen years... **_

He approached his bed, where Coulson had left the gear he promised in a considerably sized black case with an icon of a white hooded mask. It was the icon Coulson had come up with for Specter Haven.

Opening the case, he found the latest gear of stealth gear that mimicked the material that he had originally used with Taskmaster's armor that was gifted to him but that was destroyed when he faced off with Taskmaster on the helicarrier.

_**Now this is what I loved about S.H.I.E.L.D…. the gear they have is always state-of-the-art.**_

This new black armor was impeccable. It had a solid strong chest plate that provided maximum defense with maximum mobility with its lightweight feature. The arm plates had Specter Haven's symbol imprinted in white on the right arm plate, along with a set of black tactical gloves. Along with armored combat boots, Coulson also added a black and silver crested utility belt decorated with flash grenades, magazine pouches, and holsters for his twin pistols, all engraved with the Specter Haven symbol.

_**Coulson wasn't kidding when he said I had a blank check for whatever I wanted and/or needed… It's like Christmas…**_

The best part of the case was the familiar silver single-edged sword that Phantom had lost on the helicarrier back in the fight with Taskmaster. Coulson had Hulk swim down into the sunken helicarrier to retrieve it from the radiated nuclear engine chamber, they had cleaned it and also engraved it with the same symbol.

Phantom twisted the hilt to see the creator's initials, _A. Montoya_. "I can't believe they went this far to retrieve this… I'm forever grateful." Phantom said to himself. He looked at the gear and proceeded to putting it on.

_**Perhaps I should introduce myself, but there isn't much to really introduce to you. I am Phantom, no not the Kit Walker Phantom, I'm just Phantom. I was once known as Alejandro Cruz, a special agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. who worked closely with other agents like Taskmaster, Deadpool, and even Nick Fury. However, Alejandro Cruz has been dead for a while now… **_

_**My story isn't your typical fairytale where there's a happy ending, I've stopped believing in such things many, many years ago. Some consider me a noble hero for my actions in Manhattan a month ago, others consider me a treacherous villain responsible for the deaths of many innocence during my time I sided with Taskmaster. I'm here to tell you that I'm neither. **_

_**I'm not a hero, and never will I consider myself one. My actions in Manhattan was just me doing what was right, and unfortunately for me, I wasn't killed in the result of the helicarrier's crash… fate would have it that I continue living to continue this mad journey. And neither am I a villain, for I'd rather spare a thousand villains if it meant saving an innocent life. It is just what I believe and it's what I stand for and would fight to my dying breath to defend. **_

_**I've lost everything that I held dear in my life previous to becoming Phantom. The love of my life fell in love with another after being led to believe that I was dead… and that wasn't her fault. I understand her decision. However, what came new to my knowledge was that she and I had a daughter shortly after I was incarcerated… a daughter which I've sworn to watch over. The mental connection I created with her has kept me watchful of her activities, and I've yet to reveal my continued existence to her in her dreams. **_

_**With that said, I've committed what life I have now as the Phantom to hunt down those responsible for the conspiracy that was unraveled when I faced off against Taskmaster, and it starts with Magneto and his string of inhumane projects which experimented on people like Alejandro Cruz and turned him into these "infiltrator" mutants with the ability to disappear and reappear at will. Something much like Susan Storm, but we lack force field generating abilities, but we are much more potent in the variety of skills we have become infused with. **_

_**As far as my knowledge reaches, there are three others like me, as there were three other projects that tried to recreate the perfect mutant using a serum blended with the abilities of various famous and infamous mutants. I've been tasked by both Coulson and Acting Director Maria Hill to find Nick Fury, who was captured by Deadpool and taken off somewhere, presumably with Taskmaster's help. However, before I do that, I requested to seek these three mutants: Bruce Melle, who was the subject of Project Orion in 1992; Carmen Salvador, who was the subject of Project Chronos in 2005; And Drake Ashbell, who was the subject of Project Vulcan in 2008. Along with the project that created me, Project Vitruvian, these four experiments were part of a category that Magneto listed as "Athena-Class Projects". **_

_**I'm going to find these mutants and offer them a place in Specter Haven, and hopefully, they can help me get to the bottom of this mystery shrouded in darkness and deception. I've requested for the help of Spider-Man and one more member of his team to come with me as I find these mutants, I owe him this much for having rescued me from Taskmaster's hideout and aiding me in defeating him. **_

Phantom finished gearing up with his black armor. After putting his white mask on that covered his whole head, he draped his signature black hood that connected with his tattered cloak over his head and placed a white face-plate over his mask.

He put on his gloves and carefully placed his sword on the sheath on his back.

_**And now, we begin!**_

* * *

Well, after much decision on my own time, I finally decided to begin the second story in earnest. I hope you all enjoyed this small prologue! I'll be working on the next chapter and due to how busy things have gotten for me on my end, I think I'll start updating this story on a weekly basis. I don't intend it to be as long as _The Phantom_ because it concentrates on this "team" that Phantom's making, thus the title _Specter Haven_.

As always, readers, your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I'd like to thank you all for encouraging for a second part to come into play. I hope this matches up just as great at the first!

Enjoy! :)


	2. A Reunion Between Heroes

_**A Reunion Between Heroes**_

* * *

The alarm on Peter's clock rang loudly with its annoying buzzing sound and red digital numbers blinking, prompting Peter to quickly turn it off. It was a miracle that he had set it on the right time for this morning shortly after he called Ava.

**Ugh, I hate waking up so early, especially on a Monday. Why can't we wake up to go to school like… an hour later…or two hours later? Or at least give us a special late arrival thing, Coulson, I mean give us a break, we're superheroes for crying out loud! We need our sleep! Or I'll end up as tired as Powerman after training sessions and fall asleep anywhere and everywhere! **

Pete slimed out of bed and into the shower, back out to get dressed for the day at school in his jeans and light blue collar shirt with his white undershirt. He combed his hair and readied it for the day, brushing his teeth and grabbing his backpack. "Crap, forgot to finish that math assignment. I'll have to… borrow the answers from Ava later!" He carried his backpack downstairs to where he found Aunt May cooking breakfast for him.

"Ah, Good morning, Peter!" Aunt May happily greeted him as she readied his plate full of food. "I made scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes for you this morning." She placed each named item on his plate.

**Ah, good old Aunt May. After the death of my parents, she and Uncle Ben were all the family I had that took care of me. (Sigh)… she took it pretty hard when Uncle Ben died, but I'm really glad to see her in a bright mood most days. Plus, she makes the best bacon in the world… don't let anyone tell you different… I **_**mean **_**it!**

"Thanks, Aunt May." Peter smiled as she handed him his plate on the table in the dining room.

"You're welcome!" Aunt May returned the smile as she picked up the remote to turn up the volume on the television. She was watching the news with J. Jonah Jameson's big mustached face on the center of Daily Bugle Communications.

**Ah, and then there's J.J. Jameson, the one guy in this city who has nothing else better to do than to talk about how much "Spider-Man stinks"! I mean this is a legit news station, who the heck has time to listen to a guy talk about that all day? I don't know about you, but it must be pretty weird to have that guy tell you how much I suck as a superhero all day, shouldn't be worried more about...I don't know... the weather? Sports?... How to get a decent shave?  
**

"So back on the subject we were talking about before our commercial break!" Jameson sternly spoke from the television screen, Peter munching away at his bacon as both he and Aunt May watched. "There is more rioting at the gates of the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Headquarters in D.C. today, with protesters demanding answers for the disappearances of 20,397 New Yorkers in the wake of the attack on Manhattan. Latest theories point to S.H.I.E.L.D. having captured these people in an attempt to cover up what really happened! Is this an elaborate S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy, or really just a plot hatched by Taskmaster to invade the island, we can only speculate… but I just know… SPIDER-MAN IS INVOLVED, HE'S A PUBLIC MENACE…!"

**Yep… saw that one coming. Jameson's just blowing off steam because his news channel was one of the first channels Taskmaster blocked out when he took over; he doesn't really know what went down with those missing people. I don't know either, but… **

"My goodness… nowhere is safe anymore with what happened last month, Pete." Aunt May turned off the television. "Thank god you weren't on the island; I was worried sick as to where you were!"

**Oh boy, if she only knew the truth and didn't believe in that small lie S.H.I.E.L.D. told her so that she didn't worry **_**too**_** much as to where I was during the attack.**

"It's all right, Aunt May. We're past all that now, I don't think anyone's going to come knocking down our front door here anytime soon." Peter sincerely told her. "I was more worried about _you_; I had hoped you didn't go out in the city with your friends for whatever activity you had planned that day. I'm pretty glad you didn't."

"Awh, Peter, you're so sweet. No, I didn't have anything planned. I was going to go to the park to get some air but the thunderstorm that took place that day kind of removed that out of the schedule. I thought it was World War 3 with all that was going on outside with all the explosions and the shooting!" Aunt May worriedly told him. "I tried to leave the house but the police were making sure everyone stayed indoors, it was a nightmare!"

"Yeah… it really was." Peter shook his head remembering the events that happened that day.

"Oh, don't worry, Peter. It's all behind us now. It's just a blessing that we're both okay… My heart goes out to all of the families of those who are still missing though." Aunt May took a heavy sigh of grief. "What could've happened to them?"

**Something tells me S.H.I.E.L.D. has been wondering that themselves… extensively. Maybe this "special assignment" Coulson's putting Tiger and I on might give us some answers… or like I said before… could just be a wild goose chase. **

"Who knows? Aunt May, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure they'll turn up in a few days. Maybe they're hiding somewhere in the Big Apple." Peter finished up his breakfast and gulped down his orange juice, readying to head out as he looked at the time. Aunt May started to wash the dishes and the rest of the items she used to cook with.

**Oops, almost forgot!**

"By the way, Aunt May, I forgot to mention that I got a field trip today… a week-long field trip to go study… uhm… rocks! Rocks up on the Rocky Mountains for… uhhh… geology class!" Peter nervously tried telling her the cover-up story for Coulson.

Aunt May gave him a skeptical look. "A week-long field trip? Peter how come you always tell me about these random trips and 'extracurricular' activities at the last second? And I always get them by a phone call or a note, never by you personally! In fact, this is the first time you even brought something like this up in person!" Aunt May stopped washing dishes as she turned to look at him. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

**I never really expected Aunt May to really question this out of the blue! I always thought she agreed with whatever I told her, but I guess you can't fool Aunt May for so long… she'll notice the trend. Now I got to figure out what to tell her!**

"Uhhh…" Peter spaced out trying to figure out what to tell her.

"Ahhh… I know what it is." Aunt May returned to the dishes. "It's Ava isn't it?"

**That's what I forgot to mention… Yeah, I kinda had to tell Aunt May that Ava and I were dating now… Otherwise I couldn't possibly keep the pictures I had of her an me up in my room! **

"Well, whatever you two are up to, just make sure you're safe about it!" Aunt May implored Peter with the obvious topic of what she was talking about.

**Awkward much?**

"Aunt May! It isn't even _remotely_ like that!" Peter exclaimed in shock.

"Mhm! Your Uncle Ben said the same thing too!" Aunt May shook her head. "Look Pete, it's fine. Just be careful up in the mountains, and take pictures, please!"

**(Whew) Almost thought for sure she'd put up a fight about it… I'm glad she didn't think that I was trying to fool her or something! I'm not actually trying to but covering up being a superhero is nearly impossible sometimes when I'm still going to school!**

"Thanks, Aunt May!" Peter turned to start walking before he stopped. "And by the way, it is _not _like that!"

Aunt May shook her head, smiling sensibly at the situation.

Peter headed out after saying goodbye to Aunt May and opened the door to find Ava walking towards the door already to come get him. She saw him walk out. "Peter! I was about to come knock!"

"Ha, beat you to it then!" Peter smiled as he turned to lock the door. She walked up the few steps to the porch, Peter turned to her and leaned to kiss her.

**The best part about my mornings is being able to do this! Technically she doesn't even have to come see me, but she usually hitches a ride from the helicarrier to come down to my house in the mornings so we can get to school. **

"You ready for today?" Ava asked him intently.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Peter shrugged as they walked out onto the sidewalk. "I told Aunt May about the 'trip' Coulson told me to tell her about so that it would give us an excuse for a week to go do this assignment or whatever."

"How did she react to that?" Ava wondered.

"She caught on to the fact that this was becoming routine and asked if I was hiding something from her! She thought you and me were up to things!"

"What _kind_ of things?!" Ava questioned. "Does she know our secret that we're superheroes?!"

**Ha! Until Aunt May finds my Spidey costume, I doubt she'll ever think that! That's probably the last thing she'll expect me as. I'm everything _but_ a superhero when I'm not in costume!  
**

"Nooooo! Just… weird things, nothing to worry about!" Peter tried changing the subject; she gave him an unconvinced look, but shook her head as she quickly forgot about it. "_Anyway_, have you tried figuring out what the assignment is all about?"

"No… Danny thinks it's some routine S.H.I.E.L.D. training exercise with other potential superheroes around the country… but I don't think that's the case." Ava answered, trying to figure it out herself. "It might not even be anything, who knows?"

"Yeah, you're right…"

**Whatever it is, I just hope it's something both Tiger and I can handle. I've been thrown into the fire from S.H.I.E.L.D. plenty of times with only Nova or Iron Fist, and trust me… it's not fun, especially with Nova… It would've sucked if Coulson assigned him onto this assignment with me.**

"So last night, Coulson told me to come up with a list of things that the rest of the team should do while you and I are gone on this assignment." Ava took out a small notepad that was doodled on from her backpack.

**Oh boy, this should be good. Ava's outrageously strict about training and learning, it's the worst day of the week when she's the one leading our training exercises! But hey, if I don't have to be around for them, that's all right with me!**

Ava handed Peter the list of things she suggested and Peter's eyes widened in shock as he read each one.

… **Holy cow, she can't be serious!**

"Uh… underwater-explosions training simulation? A thousand-mech survival simulation?... Invisible opponent in-the-dark simulation?" Peter named off a few with a confused look about his face. "You _do_ realize that all those simulations are on the top tier of difficulty according to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s training regulations right?"

"I know." Ava sarcastically smiled.

"This is suicide, Ava!" Peter handed her back the notepad. "I don't think you should suggest those…"

"Why not?!"

"I don't even think _you'd_ be able to do any of those let alone pass them." Peter answered respectfully.

**Well sure she can, but I'm not going to tell **_**her**_** that! I'm trying to avoid slaying the guys any more than they have to! Our recent exercises weren't as bad as what Ava has written here, but having to do them multiple times kind of wears you out!  
**

"Yeah I can!" Ava defensively answered, then stopped to think for a moment. "Well…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Peter nudged her. "Just have them do basic exercises that don't need them to have to die, like the limited combat exercise…"

"Uh, that just requires them to defeat ten mechs… anyone can do that! Even in their sleep! It's a beginner-level exercise!" Ava argued.

"Exactly!" Peter smiled widely. "Come on… please?"

"Ugh…boys…" Ava shook her head. "Fine…"

**Ha-ha! I win!**

"Oh, and I almost forgot...Ava, did you do your math homework last night?" Peter nervously asked. She shot him a look.

"Forgot to do it over the weekend again, Parker?" Ava shook her head.

"Yeah, well I had stuff to do!" Peter confidently told her, knowing that she probably thought he was a moron for not doing it.

"Like what?!"

"Uh... sleeping... texting you... Uhm..." Peter couldn't think of anymore things.

**There is that case where I dress up as Spider-Man all the time and go around webbing up bad guys but she wouldn't think that's too big on my list of things to do.**

"Yep... You're _really_ doing a lot over the weekend, Pete." Ava sarcastically stated as they continued their walk.

**Yes, that's my lady...always knowing how to put me down even when I need help with homework! (Sarcasm) Trust me, it gets better than this! **

* * *

Agent Coulson prepared the documents for the briefing with Spider-Man early that morning at the school. Acting Director Agent Hill secretly signed off on sanctioning this specific assignment under S.H.I.E.L.D. with the help of Black Widow from the Avengers. He sat down as he pulled up a holographic projection on his desk of the dossiers he put together for each mutant that Phantom would go out and look for. He did his homework, and placed as much information as he could.

"Ready for this assignment, Coulson?" Phantom appeared out of thin air in front of him, causing the agent to jump in his chair.

_**It's the most amusing thing in the world to be able to do that to him now.**_

"Whoa, man! Phantom… you got to stop scaring me like that!" Coulson had his pistol ready at hand in surprise; he put it away slowly as he tried to gather himself from the shock.

"You've done too much desk work, Coulson… Field Agents rarely get surprised." Phantom mocked him as he stood next to his chair, looking at the holographic dossiers.

_**So these are the other mutants like me… For the longest time ever, I had suspected being the only other one in the world to have this curse. It seems I was wrong. **_

"Yes, well… 'Field Agents' don't expect to be attacked by people who can disappear… we're much more practical than that." Coulson answered, defending his state of surprise. Phantom ignored him as he studied away at the information on the dossiers. "Find anything interesting?"

"Much…" Phantom looked through each name. "They were… civilians before their experiments."

_**I can only assume they were kidnapped, it is the only explanation, or coerced to be a part of these experiments by the agency who was conducting them.**_

"They weren't agents like you." Coulson stated, pointing out the obvious. "Remember that Project Vitruvian was the only one S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually a part of. If we had known about these other projects… we would've done everything to shut it down immediately."

"Are you certain?" Phantom skeptically asked. "Don't speak on behalf of an organization that you yourself are hiding secrets from, starting with me."

Coulson ignored the statement as he gathered up the documents for the dossiers and reports that he'll be presenting to Spider-Man once he shows up. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has the best intentions in mind." He finally spoke.

_**Perhaps that may be true, but I've yet to hear of any noble outcomes to be the result of that. S.H.I.E.L.D. protects its own interests first, and if that means experimenting on people behind closed doors in order to discover the most efficient weapon to control population… then they'd do it, discreetly. **_

"I'm sure they do." Phantom darkly spoke, but quickly changing the subject. "Who has Spider-Man chosen for his extra teammate?"

"I believe he chose White Tiger to assist him." Coulson looked up at Phantom. "It troubles me that he's bringing _her_, because of their close relationship, but I'm hoping that it won't interfere with their mission."

_**Hmm… It seems a bit unwise but if Spider-Man thinks she is the best one to assist him, but who am I to argue with him?**_

"Once I'll speak to them, they'll _know_ what is at stake here. The longer we take finding these mutants, the longer it'll be before we find Nick Fury and rescue him." Phantom stated clearly. "_Nothing_ should interfere with this."

"I'm just afraid that their feelings for each other will disrupt something. We can't afford to lose any more time on this." Coulson told him worriedly.

"We'll be fine, Coulson." Phantom placed his hand on the agent's shoulder. "It's just a matter of time now before Fury is back with us and we can concentrate on the larger threat at hand."

_**We don't have the resources to go after Magneto directly just yet. We're still trying to join our efforts together with Professor Xavier and the rest of the X-Men in secret, out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ever present watchful eye.**_

…_**which is easier said than done.**_

* * *

Peter and Ava arrived at the school just in time to get to the cafeteria to wait up on the rest of the team. They sat at their regular table next to each other.

"You'd think they'd be more punctual arriving at school." Ava sighed. "Am I the only one that wakes up early and on time?"

"Oh, leave them be, I wouldn't be here right now if you didn't come around my house every morning, I'd still be asleep." Peter nudged her. "Well that, and I love Aunt May's breakfasts!"

**Ava likes being on-time to everything, and it doesn't bother me any. Us being together and all, I don't mind it, but she's got to give the guys a break, we'd always show up a few minutes before the bell or a few minutes late, especially me.**

"Is that a problem?" Ava wondered.

"No, but you can't blame the other guys!" Peter reasoned with her. "I'm sure two days in a weekend still isn't enough to make them feel better about all the training they've had to do for weeks on end."

"I guess you're right."

**Of course I am, I'm Spider-Man! When am I ever wrong?!... Sarcasm kills. **

"Hey, Pete!" Harry greeted Peter as he walked towards their table with a tray of food.

**Harry Osborn, my best friend and the school's wealthiest student. Don't feel envious of him yet though, his father, Norman Osborn, **_**was**_** the city's most powerful businessman before his greed and thirst for power caused him to turn into the Green Goblin. Harry carries on by though; but I'm still trying to ignore the fact that his dad's a hulking green monster with pointy ears. **

"Harry! What's up man?" Peter greeted him as Harry sat down across from both Ava and him.

"Oh you know, going to corporate business meetings and changing the direction of where the energy business will go. You know; just normal things." Harry sarcastically answered Peter as he opened up his juice carton.

"Huh?" Peter was confused, but quickly caught on to what he said and how he said it.

**Harry's sarcasm sucks, only because I know he's not _that_ smart… Harry still needs **_**my**_** help with homework most days, I kind of doubt his dad's company would put him in charge with what little he knows about things!**

"I'm kidding, Peter. I've just been chilling really. A lot's changed with dad's company since the attack on the city a month ago… I don't know what to do or where it'll end up. Everybody's looking at me for an answer but I'm still just a teenager! Dad would know more about it than I would." Harry sighed and looked at Ava. "But enough about me… I'm sorry, Ava, how are you doing this morning?"

"I'm fine, Harry, thanks. Where's MJ?" Ava asked him, MJ and Harry are usually talking to each other whenever she's not with Sam.

"She's over there, I think." Harry pointed towards the tables behind him. They saw her, she was sitting with Sam laughing it up over some conversation they were having.

**And then there's Mary Jane Watson, my other best friend from my childhood. She moved into my neighborhood when I was still a little kid, and she's been there for me a lot of the time. Sure, I had a crush on her for quite a while, and maybe I **_**did **_**feel a little jealous when Sam started dating her… but Ava really changed things for me...for the better. I'm pretty sure they have a bit of a grudge between each other _because_ of the news that Ava and I are dating, which doesn't help my friendship with MJ though. But I try to keep the peace between the two, even if MJ continuously talks to Sam all day long. **

"Well, I see that Sam got here early too." Peter stated as looked at their direction. Ava shook her head, the team would usually sit together but Sam _would_ be the one to sit with MJ instead of his teammates.

"Hmm… so are the rumors true?" Harry asked the both of them after taking a bite out of his food. "I heard that the both of you are _together_ now?"

Ava glanced at Peter with a confused look then back at Harry, "Who told you that?"

"I think Sam told MJ, MJ told me…" Harry answered her. "Is it true?"

Before Ava could say anything because she was still mad at the fact Sam was telling the whole school about them, Peter answered for the both of them. "Yes, Harry, it's true!" with a smile.

**She's probably going to get angry because she doesn't want so many people to know but, it's my best friend, plus she can't keep this a secret forever, especially when even Principal Coulson knows about it.  
**

"Oh man, good for you both!" Harry smiled. "I really didn't see that coming!"

"I don't think anyone did." Ava shot Peter a soft look. "But I think I'll talk to Sam more about his loose lips _later_!"

**Yeah, I'm going to have to hear about that later, but who really cares? Ava thinks that if people start finding out that we're together then it puts us at more danger for when the bad guys come around and find out our identities. I'm trying to tell her that first, they're not going to find out, and second, we're both willing and able to fight them off together! So what if the school knows? I'm happy with Ava, and might as well show it. **

Peter glanced over and saw Sam and MJ staring at each other with huge smiles on their face, all lovey-dovey like.

**I mean… you don't see Sam trying to hide his relationship with MJ… who seems to like obnoxious bucket-headed superheroes.**

* * *

Phantom briefly left Coulson's office and hid, invisible to the rest of the students in the cafeteria, with his eyes fixed on Selena, who sat next to a group of her girlfriends, chatting away and talking. She was oblivious to his presence that stood near the wall farthest from her table.

_**Perhaps you believe that it's strange for me to watch my daughter like this. Perhaps so, but I'm led to assume that her and her mother believe I'm dead and lying at the bottom of the Hudson after what happened in the helicarrier… I can't just expose myself to her here in front of the rest of her school.**_

Selena ate her food while flipping through a book, obviously multi-tasking between talking to her friends, reading her book, and eating her breakfast. Phantom took a good look at his daughter; she had her mother's clear hazel eyes as well as her sweet tone of skin. She had both Phantom's and Maria's smooth and long black hair, along with her father's dimples on both her cheeks. She had truly come out to be a beautiful teenage girl.

_**Sometimes it stuns me to see how much like her mother she turned out to be… She looks so much like her and… she doesn't even have my last name anymore. I remember when I married Maria so many, many years ago; that I promised myself that I'd be the best father I could ever be for our children. I never knew my father that well growing up, and I missed out on having a father-like figure teach me the differences between right and wrong, something I had to learn on my own… I didn't want my daughter to grow up without a father… but Maria's husband, Fernand Escobar, took care of that responsibility. (Sigh), I was for sure I'd never be able to see her again after crashing the helicarrier into the river. I can thank S.H.I.E.L.D. that much for keeping me alive... to continue to see my daughter.  
**_

He slowly approached her, nearing close enough to be able to read what she was reading. She was studying theories as to how people can read minds, something related to psychology, but also something Phantom himself had the ability to do… a fact that Selena knew about him when they met for the first time face-to-face.

_**Interesting**** read...**_

Suddenly, she started looking around curiously. As though she sensed his presence, "Do you guys hear those whispers?" She turned to her friends and asked. They shook their heads and shrugged.

Phantom slowly backed up so that she didn't continue hearing the whispers from his whispering effect. He didn't want to be detected by her.

_**I'll reveal myself to her soon…but now is not the time… There is much that has to be done first. Maybe soon in time, she and I will be able to speak to each other.  
**_

He walked out of the cafeteria, remaining invisible and glanced back to see his daughter one last time and walked out. She looked at his direction, wondering why the double doors to the cafeteria had mysteriously opened without anyone walking in or out.

* * *

The bell rang and Luke came rushing into the cafeteria followed by the calm Danny Rand… late. Ava and Peter were already walking out when they both showed up, Luke sweating. Danny looked relaxed and nodded his greeting towards Peter and Ava.

"Hey guys!" Luke tried catching his breath.

"Whoa, Luke! You all right?" Peter asked attentively.

**If I had guessed, I would've said that he probably did a training exercise before school, but with how much he's trained in the past few weeks… Ha! I wouldn't even do it!**

"It looks like you ran a marathon before showing up to school!" Ava pointed out.

"I… (catches his breath)… Jeez!" he turned to Danny. "That's the last time I agree to have a meditating session, man!"

**Oh man, now this I **_**have**_** to hear! I've done one session… which had me fall asleep! **

"What happened?" Peter curiously asked.

"Last night, I offered to have him relieve his stress by doing a mediation session, however… he slept through most of the meditation and he overslept." Danny calmly explained. "Once he figured that out, he ran out of the helicarrier before I could even stop him."

"I thought we were going… to be late!" Luke straightened himself out.

"We already are." Danny crossed his arms. "We will need another session of meditation to ease your stress about this situation."

"Yeah... right!" Luke shook his head. "I was fine if I didn't fall asleep!"

"You need to relax, not fall asleep..." Danny argued.

"If I only _knew_ that..." Luke sighed.

**Well at least they arrived just in time, no need to worry about that. **

"Peter Parker, Ava Ayala, in my office." Principal Coulson's voice echoed overhead.

"Well, that's our cue." Peter stated as he glanced at Ava, who nodded at him to head over to Coulson's office.

"We will see you soon, come on, Luke." Danny told Luke, who looked mad now at the fact he almost overslept.

**I think meditation would help if it actually worked and Danny's sweet-smelling incense wasn't so present throughout the room! That's what probably knocked Luke out to sleep!**

* * *

They both walked into Coulson's office just as the other students from the school were scattering about the hallways to get to their class before they were late to it. Coulson was sitting at his desk, with a blank look on his face, having waited for them.

"Principal Coulson!" Peter greeted the agent with a grin as both him and Ava sat down in front of his desk. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Good, Peter. Miss Ayala, how are you?" Coulson greeted Ava.

"Fine I guess, just an uneventful morning." Ava told him tiredly. "If you could do the others a favor and overlook Luke's and Danny's late arrival, please!"

"Don't worry, I know about Mr. Cage's attempt at meditating... I've tried doing it once but you have to be as calm as Mr. Rand to be able to do that." Coulson informed her. "It won't be a problem."

**I remember when that happened. Danny was able to knock Coulson out for a whole day and we got a whole day off, well most of the day. Fury found out then we had to wake him back up... it was fun while it lasted though!**

"Thanks, Coulson." Peter told him.

"Of course, so… I've brought you both here to brief you both about the upcoming assignment." Coulson looked at Ava. "I _hope_ that nothing between you two will interfere with the mission."

"It won't." Ava flat-out stated confidently, while glancing another soft look at Peter.

**Yeah... it won't for the most part.**

"Good." Coulson stood up from his chair and walked over to a large map that was pinned to a corkboard in his office, he studied it intensively. "I'm sure you both are wondering what the assignment is…"

"Yeah… we kind of were. What kind of an assignment only needs two of us, Coulson?" Peter skeptically asked.

**I mean jeez, don't keep us in the dark here, it'd be nice if we found out whether we were going to go to a near-suicidal area or...like I said before, a wild goose chase. Trust me when I say it happens more time than none...especially if it involves Batroc the Leaper.**

"Well, it's not one of _our_ assignments." Coulson vaguely told them. "If it was, we'd send all of you."

"What do you mean?" Ava asked.

"One of our 'old friends', has assigned you two on this assignment with him." Coulson answered as he turned to look at them.

**Old friends? Fury!?**

"Who?" Peter asked.

* * *

"Then it is at that point…you ask yourself…" A mysterious yet familiar voice spoke as Phantom appeared before them standing over Coulson's desk. "…do you believe in _ghosts_?"

"Ahhh!" Peter jumped, falling backwards from his seat. Ava was just surprised with widened eyes, but not as shocked as Peter.

_**Ha ha… I scared the Spider.**_

"Phantom… you…" Ava was at a lost for words. "…you're still alive?"

"Phantom! Holy hell, how are you still alive!?" Peter exclaimed as he stood up and straightened himself out.

Phantom glanced at Coulson, who stood with a stern face. "You cannot kill, what cannot die… We have a job to do, Spider-Man and White Tiger, and given our history a month ago, I saw it necessary that you, Spider-Man, would be the one to help me. You and a teammate that you trusted, of course."

"Wait a minute, rewind." Peter stopped him there. "What job, what's going on, Phantom? You can't just swoop back in here and say 'let's go'! We don't even know what's going on! Coulson?" Peter looked at the agent who merely shrugged.

"Phantom's running this assignment now, Peter. I've asked for you both to help." Coulson answered.

"Well, will you at least explain to us what's going on?" Ava sternly asked.

"It'll take some time but yes… I'll tell you." Phantom told her confidently.

_**It's going to be interesting to catch these two up to speed about the results of what's going on with S.H.I.E.L.D., Specter Haven, Magneto, and now these three mutants we have to go find and recruit…**_

_**I just hope they're ready to accompany me on this uncertain mission…**_

* * *

The one-eyed director of S.H.I.E.L.D. slowly woke up, dazed and confused, lying face-down on a cold hard surface. It was wood, shrewdly carved wood that was made into a floorboard. He turned his head to see an endless ceiling, in what appeared to be a dark cavern.

He tried to gather himself, sitting upwards on the floor. There were dim lights that surrounded him, along with a large assortment of weapons that included machine guns, rocket launchers, and tank missiles.

Pain hit his right leg, as though he was beaten up in that part of his body, but he found the strength to stand up, only to realize his left ankle was chained around a stalagmite. "Damn it…" Fury murmured under his breath.

The director continued to examine the cavern, and saw dim lights leading out of what appeared to be a large chamber within the cavern, stretching a least a hundred feet upwards. A still underground lake was beneath the elevated platform that Fury stood in, and he could make out skeletons within the water.

"Where in the world am I?" Fury quickly looked through whatever gear he had left on his person. His communicator was gone, his weapons were gone, even his watch was gone. "Damn it… who in the hell…?"

Fury could make out a large crystal ball suspended from the ceiling in the cavern and several speakers lining around the edge of the platform.

"Perfect… where did you get yourself in this time, Fury?" Fury cursed himself as he tried to find a way to break through the chain that imprisoned him.

Suddenly, he started to hear loud singing distant out near the entrance of the cavern, it grew louder and louder…and began to sound horrible near the end. He saw a figure enter into the cavern, and it began to prance around in an awkward dance style.

"No…" Fury squinted his eye to try making out the silhouetted figure between the dim lights. "It can't be…"

The figure jumped forward and surprised Fury enough to have him fall backwards. Fury looked up and saw who it was.

"DEADPOOL, BABY!" Deadpool laughed hysterically as he stood over Fury. "I _told_ you that you wouldn't have seen the last of me! Ha ha, this story isn't good enough without me around!"

* * *

A little shorter of a chapter than what I wanted it to be but I hope you all enjoy! I wanted to introduce a lot of the characters back into the spin of things as well as create a baseline as to what to expect from here on out through the story. Again, thank you all for reading, hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback is appreciated :) I'll update soon when I can.

Thanks :)


	3. A Reunion Between Heroes, Part II

_**A Reunion Between Heroes, Part II**_

* * *

The mysterious grey hooded and shadowy character stood on the rooftops to Magneto's facility, looking out towards the bright lights of the city that loomed near the dark horizon of the nightly region. The land was so alien towards him, strange… bringing about a nostalgic feeling of having been there once a long time ago in time.

"I hate this place…" He whispered to himself, closing his eyes to try and forget the memories of what once was.

"But which do you hate more, the place or the time?" Magneto appeared behind him from the entrance to the rooftop. "I figured you'd be here."

The hooded character glanced back at Magneto then back out to the city. "My purpose here is absolute, Magneto. When we see to the end of this, only then will we be able to grasp the hold of power necessary to control what is needed to control."

"You should see what I see, that we mutants have been suppressed by humanity for hundreds of years." Magneto answered to him. "All I've ever wanted from them was recognition… recognition that maybe one day my mutant brothers and sisters can live without judgment from these… parasites."

"You think I care about that? My _purpose_ here isn't to advance the mutant race… You and I both know that my existence was created _because_ of _your_ thirst to advance the mutant race." The hooded man spoke back aggressively, looking back at Magneto. "Our alliance is possible because the future begins now… and to avoid the future that _I've _witnessed… the power to control starts now."

"I see…" Magneto joined him to stare across to the city. "…How do you plan to deal with the Phantom then? Once he's aware of who you truly are, and what you're doing here... then I don't see any reason stopping him to come after you, let alone me."

"He won't kill me…" The hooded character responded. "He _can't _kill me…"

"…But neither can you kill him." Magneto finished the hooded man's statement.

"And _that_… is the unfortunate truth." The hooded man sighed.

"Fine…" Magneto stood silent for a few moments, contemplating what he's to say next. "We've traced Taskmaster's whereabouts…"

"Have you?" The hooded character skeptically asked. "I was beginning to think he slipped away along with Deadpool and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D…"

"No… he's slipped away to one of his armored ships out in the South Atlantic. I've ordered Mystique to go and bring him to me." Magneto assured him. "Once we have him, I'll then order him to bring us Deadpool and Nick Fury."

"Were you not able to find Deadpool?"

"Any information we were able to scrounge with Deadpool through our networks sent us a million dead ends and a dozen of links to several suggestive websites… Deadpool has no digital footprint, and any other leads are dead." Magneto sighed. "If anyone would know of his whereabouts, it would be Taskmaster."

"I agree… but what about Charles Xavier and the X-Men?" The hooded character then asked. "I'm sure they'll be trying to discover our whereabouts soon… it is what happened last time, in another time…"

"Ah yes… Charles…" Magneto nostalgically spoke. "It is time that I give my old friend an ultimatum, either to join the Brotherhood… or fall… so… leave him to me."

"It seems life is just full of ultimatums, isn't it? We expect to die… but life finds a way to keep you alive past all reason… immortality has an interesting way of turning us into villains…" The hooded man turned to walk away from the edge of the rooftop, heading back towards the entrance.

"Perhaps for you, my friend… But who is the real villain, the mutant trying to protect his species… or the one trying to enslave it?" Magneto turned to see the hooded character fade into nothing as he opened the door to the facility.

* * *

"Gargh! Hulk hungry!" Hulk bashed the very large metallic table in the meeting room where the Avengers would sit at, the silver "_A_" that stood for their group, bolded upon the table. Only he and Hawkeye sat there, waiting for the rest of the Avengers to show up.

"When are you never hungry?" Hawkeye sat at his chair and asked the Hulk, with his arms crossed. "It's either you're hungry for food, hungry for destruction, or hungry to fight… when are you ever content?"

Hulk grunted in anger. "Where is Iron Man?!"

"He's coming…" Hawkeye frustratingly answered as he looked around the room in boredom.

The doors to the meeting room burst open, Black Widow walked in, alongside Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.

"I'm sorry, Hulk, but lunch-time will have to be cut short today." Iron Man told his fellow Avenger. Hulk grunted in anger once more as the others took their seats around the table. "I've just received news from Agent Coulson that Phantom's green-lit his operation to go seeking his three mutants for Specter Haven."

"_Specter Haven_?" Hawkeye asked in confusion. "What the hell is that?"

"_The official_ 'Specter Haven' was an initiative by S.H.I.E.L.D. back in 1994 made of four of the most elite agents to be the agency's foremost team regarding special espionage operations." Black Widow stated as she opened up a black file filled with several pieces of paperwork. "They were disbanded in 1997 after a classified mission in Europe got three of the four agents killed. Agent Cruz was the only agent to have survived the mission. Now, Specter Haven is what Phantom's four-man mutant team of the other three experimental mutants of the Athena-Class Projects is called…"

"Phantom wanted his team to be called 'Specter Haven'… for reasons of which I don't know. Maybe it's the name he feels would be the most appropriate for it because of his history towards it… but that doesn't matter. I want you all to make sure we can cover their footprints as best we can from the eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D." Iron Man clarified to the team. "They aren't to find out that Phantom's still alive."

"You want us to keep this secret from the agency?" Captain America wondered. "Is that wise?"

"What are _they_ going to do? They can sue me if they want, I don't care." Iron Man coldly answered. "The only people from S.H.I.E.L.D that I talk to is Fury, Coulson, and Hill, anybody else is beyond me talking to… especially after that Jasper Sitwell character… he's just a weird agent… too weird for my liking…"

"You are being unreasonable, my friend." Thor calmly commented. "Now is the time that we must stand united against this threat, Iron Man. We should not go making enemies with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Kind of hard to say that after all the crap they've put _us_ through… Noope, I'm done with them for now." Iron Man shook his head. "We aren't even making enemies with them, I'm just not telling them everything I know… it's called politics, Thor, I'm pretty sure Odin does the same thing up there in that realm of yours."

"Aren't you still providing for their defense systems? Stark Industries still has the leading defense contract with S.H.I.E.L.D…" Black Widow stated out of the blue. "…including their trillion-dollar helicarrier project..."

"I never said they stopped being loyal customers now." Iron Man corrected her. "Like I said… we're not really picking fights with them just yet."

"So this is something we get to snake behind S.H.I.E.L.D.'s back? I'm game." Hawkeye stated eagerly as he twirled one of his arrows in his hand. "It's about time someone else starts keeping secrets, you know?"

The Captain glanced at Agent Romanoff, and shook his head. "I don't feel right by going behind the organization like this."

"Tell me that when S.H.I.E.L.D. turns their back on you and starts hunting _you_ down." Iron Man told the Captain. "It's going to happen soon and next thing you know, you'll find out that half of S.H.I.E.L.D. and even the leading director is part of Hydra…. Then it'd be up to Romanoff here to come help you out."

"Really?!" The Captain asked with a shocked tone.

"No, of course not, I'm just saying, the possibility is there!" Iron Man clarified.

Hulk smashed his side of the metal table hard, creating a dent in the metal. "So what are we going to do?!"

"So _you're _the reason we had this table made into metal, Hulk." Thor told him, shaking his head.

"It's simple. Natasha here, along with Coulson back at S.H.I.E.L.D. will help keep the organization from sniffing around for Phantom's whereabouts. Acting Director Hill is on-board with the plan and having her at her position will help out a great deal as well." Iron Man stated to the group. "The rest of us will continue searching for clues or traces to either Deadpool's or Taskmaster's whereabouts. Anything will help at this point, because those two lunatics covered their tracks so well."

"What about Spider-Man and his team?" Hawkeye curiously asked. "Don't tell me you guys are still thinking about recruiting that kid into the Avengers."

"The possibility remains." Thor staunchly answered him. "But that discussion is for another time."

"Spider-Man and one of his team members are going to go help Phantom find these members of the Specter Haven. The rest of them will stay put with Coulson until they get back." Iron Man answered.

Captain America took a deep sigh. "All right then, let's do it. We're going to lay low until Phantom gets his team together, and then we'll go from there." Captain reiterated what they intend to do. "Is there anything else?"

"We've made contact with Charles Xavier. He wants to meet us soon… he says this threat with Magneto is far more dangerous than we realize. Why is it that everybody says that about everybody?" Black Widow stated as she looked through the black folder's papers. "He's also requested to meet Phantom in person."

"That's going to have to wait, but we'll arrange for a meeting anyway. If we can get the X-Men on our side, then that's going to make our efforts against Magneto that much stronger, I've dug through everything I can on my end… but Magneto hides just as good as Taskmaster and Deadpool, if not better. It's going to be hard to figure him out without Xavier's help." Iron Man stated to the team.

"The sooner we get to the end of all this, the better off we will all be." Thor added. "What we need to do, as well as continue this search for Taskmaster, is start making allies now, so that when the time comes where we need to fight Magneto… we won't be alone."

"Allies! Yes!" Hulk agreed. "More allies, more smashing! We need all the help we can get!"

"I'd be careful who we pick." Hawkeye commented. "Let's not go around and get more people than we need…"

"I thought having more allies would be better." The Captain curiously stated.

"We took on a whole army of the Chitauri with just the six of us… do we really need more?" Hawkeye condescendingly stated.

"He's right…" Iron Man agreed. "Let's see what Xavier says first before we decide on anything."

"Can we eat now?!" Hulk grunted.

* * *

The white hooded Taskmaster washed his exposed face using water from the sink of his quarters on-board the ship he escaped Manhattan to hide in. After waking himself up from the drowsiness that's been clouding him of late with the water, he replaced his skull-like mask over his face.

His mask still bore the large scratch across the face from the final battle he had with Phantom. He ran his hand through it, remembering the fight clearly.

"Blasted damnation…" He murmured to himself as he also massaged his throat. He could still feel the feeling of almost dying when Phantom tried to choke him to death with his own cape. He wore off the shaky feeling of not being able to breathe then exited his quarters to proceed to the command center of the ship.

Most of his men were either obliterated or captured following the events in which the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Spider-Man's team took back Manhattan from his grasp nearly two months ago, and he's had to drop off the grid with a small enclave of soldiers he's kept in his command. He's fully aware now of the bounty Magneto's put out for his head, and he was almost certain that Magneto was closing in on his location.

Taskmaster arrived at the command center of the ship, a larger version of the control room he once had back at The Bastion, he was able to monitor all the status of his remaining allies in the world, which was dwindling at an alarming rate.

"Have we been able to locate Deadpool?" Taskmaster asked his specialists.

"Negative, Taskmaster, he's covered all his tracks." One of his specialists answered.

"Damn it…" Taskmaster cursed. "Where could he have gone with Fury?"

Shortly after they re-took the helicarrier, Taskmaster's funds that Magneto had given him for this task were taken electronically, presumably by Deadpool, at a remote location outside of New York City. Whoever did it left digital footprints that led in all different directions, eventually to a dead end or a custom-generated meme with Deadpool's face all over. The frustration of finding him was becoming strenuous. He left the command center to go to the top deck of the ship through the metallic hallways.

"Taskmaster." His leading captain approached him.

"Captain…" Taskmaster greeted the average sized and mutually masked captain. "What is the status of our location? I'd like to know how hidden we are from any threats that may come our way."

"We should be fine, Taskmaster. So long as we remain our course, we should reach South Africa soon quickly and quietly." The captain answered confidently.

"Good…" Taskmaster turned to walk away. "Keep me informed of any new updates."

"Will do… Taskmaster." The captain's eyes glowed yellow and the areas where his skin showed turned blue as he watched Taskmaster walk away.

"Will do…" Mystique repeated herself with a sly grin behind the mask.

* * *

"The assignment is simply put but complicated in nature as to the locations we will be visiting throughout this next week, which is the only amount of time allotted by Agent Coulson here to be able to find and recruit these mutants." Phantom spoke as he read out the details from the holographic projection on Coulson's desk to both Peter and Ava.

**Jeez, Professor Phantom over here showing us what we're going to do. This assignment sounds bigger in scope than what I had expected… but anything with Phantom is more than one guy can expect. **

"Spider-Man, you remember the three names that Iron Man showed us before we disembarked to Manhattan a month ago… those are the people we will be looking for." Phantom continued.

**I remember that, yeah. It was kind of a vital piece of information that Taskmaster wasn't too quick to destroy before Stark got a hold of it. **

"How are you sure that they're still alive, Phantom?" Peter skeptically asked.

"We've confirmed their whereabouts by our contacts in each location; we're not a hundred percent sure on each subject but enough that it's worth investigating." Coulson answered that question. "We wouldn't send you out to that location if we didn't believe that the person was still alive."

"That's reassuring, I guess." Peter shrugged.

**They've told us that several times that it's all 'worth investigating', sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's not. Fury was able to pick out what was real and what wasn't… I guess he was just that good at his job that he was able to just **_**know**_**, but I guess we'll go with what Coulson's got for now.**

"Well, where exactly will we be going within the next week… and who are we going to go look for?" Ava asked the question they'd been waiting to hear.

Phantom touched the blue hologram and it shifted to a large map layout of North America which had three red dots in a different location, he clicked on the one in Canada which pulled up a dossier with no picture to the name.

"We will first travel to the Yukon territory of Canada to find _**Bruce Melle**_. Mr. Melle was a huntsman back in his time, but we suspect he's had military training because of his claimed expertise with a sniper rifle… we're not completely sure on that though. We suspect that the agency that conducted his experiment offered him a job where they tricked him into becoming a subject.

"He was the 16th subject of Project Orion which was conducted on March 11, 1992 in New York. The purpose of it was to create an infiltrator mutant with hunting capabilities including tracking skills and abilities to sense heat signatures, as well as the mutual ability to disappear and appear at will… making him the perfect hunter.

"We've discovered his location based on rumors and tales in the region dating back to the middle of 1993, months after his escape. Locals believe there is some sort of mysterious huntsman that's been sighted within the forests near the border to British Columbia that has these particular set of abilities that we suspect only Bruce Melle can replicate based on the results of his project." Phantom read out Melle's dossier.

**Great… so we're following up on an urban legend for this guy, this should be interesting, cold, and creepy if we're going all the way up to Canada for this mutant, but the ability to track down and detect heat signatures…? Why does he sound like the Predator?**

"You're going to have to grab winter gear for this, you two." Coulson instructed Ava and Peter. Phantom switched to the next person which was located somewhere in Southern California.

**Good, that way we don't freeze while we're up there!**

"After we make contact with him, we'll be heading down to sunny Los Angeles, where we'll be searching for _**Drake Ashbell**_'. We don't have many records on him before the date of the experiment, but we do believe that he was kidnapped at the age of sixteen, citing the fact there is an unresolved missing persons page linked to him a few days before his project was conducted. He was the 19th subject of Project Vulcan that took place in California on November 3, 2008.

"The purpose of the project was to create an infiltrator mutant with the capabilities to withstand extreme heat… they wanted to make another _Human Torch_, if you will. The interesting part about him is that the results state that he cannot disappear into thin air, but can disappear into smoke or flames and reappear back as a normal person, while also garnering the ability to manipulate fire and smoke.

"He was listed as dead, but there was no body evidence to support his death, so somebody had to have covered up his escape. We've also found local town postings about a street dancer that goes by the name of 'Firewalker', who can apparently mimic this exact list of capabilities… a lead we must definitely follow up on." Phantom explained in detail.

**Now that should be an interesting guy to see! He kind of sounds like the Human Torch, but not really at the same time, you know? And it'll be a nice change going to California after being up in the cold in Canada.**

"He seems to be exposing himself by doing street dances then, how come nobody's noticed that?" Ava questioned.

"We've had several reports in the past about street performers having unique abilities and traits but nobody would really go investigating that because of how shrewd the tip could be. The person might not even exist." Coulson answered. "We believe Firewalker is genuine because there have been several reports of his abilities throughout the city, but not enough for a cause like Magneto's to investigate."

**It seems kind of lazy for us to follow up on a lead as vague as that too, but knowing Phantom, if it's a lead, it's something. We don't really have much time to argue that view point. But how are we really sure that he didn't die in the experiment either? Phantom knows more about this than I do, so… I just hope he's right about this.**

Phantom clicked on the final dot near Chicago, drawing up the last dossier, also without a picture reference.

"The last mutant to recruit is suspected to live in the suburbs outside of Chicago, where we will be looking for a woman named _**Carmen Salvador**_. Past records indicate that she was a student going to one of the universities in Texas and that she went missing shortly before the date of her experiment. Her fiancé's report that was filed with the police states that he had no idea where she was the night of her disappearance, so we suspect she was kidnapped by the agency that conducted her experiment as well. She was the 4th subject of Project Chronos, which was conducted in Texas on May 30, 2005.

"The purpose of this particular experiment stuck out to me the most; they wanted to create an infiltrator mutant with the power to see into the future, a way to predict the future. The results appear to have been successful if it wasn't for her 'death', which didn't turn up any body evidence, suggesting that somebody must've covered her escape as well. Along with other traits like invisibility, she's also been infused with the photographic memory similar to Taskmaster's. With the ability to copy an opponent's physical fighting style, she can be considered a combat chameleon. This suggests that some of Taskmaster himself participated in giving some of his powers and abilities in the experiments.

"Interesting enough, she's the only one to stay prominently exposed to the public. She leads a martial arts class in the city of Chicago where she teaches students unique fighting styles, but goes under the alias of 'Carmen Reyes' to avoid any similarities between herself and her true identity. However, I fear that this has exposed her to investigation. We'll be keeping a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't fall under any danger…" Phantom finally concluded his briefing on the three mutants to both Ava and Peter.

**Hmm… the last woman seems like she'd be handy in any case of fighting an opponent like Taskmaster, the ability to see into the future? Man… I wonder how Magneto was able to pull that experiment off, and I wonder whose powers he had to take to be able to do that.**

"Sounds like your kind of woman, Phantom!" Peter smirked. Phantom shot him a blank look behind his expressionless mask. "With the ability to disappear like you, _and_ read your future? Don't pass that up!"

"She can be an asset if she agrees to join Specter Haven." Phantom simply replied. "Anything beyond that… I'm frankly not interested in."

"Don't egg him on about that." Ava cautioned Peter.

"All right, fine. I'm just saying though." Peter answered, with Phantom's glare fixed on Peter.

**All right, I won't. Who knows? That Carmen chick might end up being a really mean chick who doesn't even want anything to do with Phantom and Specter Haven. That very well could be the case with the other two mutants we're looking to find. **

"I've readied everything we need on one of the helipads on the edge of the city. There's an unmarked S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft there that will be able to take you to your destinations… Phantom knows how to fly it, so no need for an extra pilot there." Coulson explained to both Peter and Ava as Phantom stood next to him.

"The gear that you'll all need is waiting there on the aircraft as well. Phantom's been handed a communicator that you all will be able to stay in contact with, officially out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s channels." He continued. "If you run into any trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D. on this mission, please contact me the moment you can. I'll clear things up on my end."

"I can handle it." Phantom assured him.

**That's true but I think Coulson would like to avoid any more agents to be killed at this point. And I'm **_**pretty**_** sure that Phantom's way of "handling" it is exactly that. **

"I'd like for you to lay low." Coulson told him politely.

"You worry too much, Coulson." Phantom shook his head as he turned to face the two young heroes. "You have until tonight at seven before we take off for the Yukon Territory, I'll make last minute checks to be sure we're ready. That way you can speak to your teammates and say your farewells… a whole week will go by slower than you'll realize."

**I guess he's right… besides what happened in Manhattan, the team's never been split apart for anything… I'm sure they'll want to know what the assignment is and everything. **

"Just make sure you don't tell them that Phantom's alive." Coulson pointed out, Phantom looked at him with a confused look about his gesture.

"I don't care if they do. They shouldn't keep secrets. We can trust them, Coulson." Phantom assured Coulson.

**I was about to say! It's not a good thing to keep something like this secret from the rest of the team! I mean sure, Nova doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut about Ava and me, but he knows when to keep quiet about something as important as this… most times. I'm not so worried about Powerman or Iron Fist, but I'm sure they'd want to know what's going to happen to Tiger and I within the next week!**

"It's best if they get an idea of what's going on but… we won't tell them much more than that." Ava told Coulson confidently.

"Very well, if you say so." Coulson accepted it. "I just want to keep this under the radar as best as possible."

"Don't worry, my friend, it'll be fine." Phantom placed his hand on the agent's shoulder.

**It's great to have Phantom back on the team for good. I didn't even expect him to come back from the literal dead after seeing the helicarrier crash into the Hudson and blowing up like crazy! It makes you wonder if he's really immortal or something! **

**All I know is that it's **_**really**_**, **_**really**_** good that he's still here helping us trying to fight this new fight with Magneto. Besides all the regular nuisances around the city that still occur on a daily basis, even after Taskmaster's attack, everybody's mind is on where these missing New Yorkers went.**

**I have a feeling that whatever we're about to get into is going to shed some light on that subject.**

* * *

Another chapter up for the weekend! I hope you all enjoy it! Please do write what you all think about the three OCs that I've set for Phantom, Spidey and Tiger to go find and recruit for Specter Haven. Tell me what you can expect from their capabilities and what you feel each character's role should be.

Thanks for everybody's reviews so far, I'll take into consideration your suggestions as I continue writing the story! As always, feedback is appreciated and I should come up with another chapter by the end of the week. Thanks! :)


	4. Doubts Within

_**Doubts Within**_

* * *

Phantom returned to the Sanctuary after the briefing with Spider-Man and White Tiger, determined to start this mission, and ever so anxious to meet the other mutants that were created just like him. He pondered in his thoughts as to what kind of people they were, if they resented their existence, or if they embraced it. He could only speculate those possibilities, but regardless, their help would greatly benefit what Phantom hoped to accomplish with Specter Haven.

He walked through the cold and empty metallic corridors of this dim-lit Sanctuary that Agent Coulson and Acting Director Hill gave him, hidden outside of New York City, and into his room where his equipment and gear was staged. He sifted through his wardrobe, ensuring he took every bit of gear he thought was necessary for the mission.

_**Most of the gear is ready to go, but I just wanted to take some last minute items just in case. One can never be too ready, especially for these kinds of missions, where the unknown is ever so abundant.**_

He opened up the black Specter Haven-engraved case where he would be transporting his gear in and checked to make sure he had everything. Extra flash grenades, blade sharpener, extra ammunition for his pistols, winterized armor, and an extra face-plate were just a few of the many items of equipment he was taking with him.

Once he was done, he closed and locked the case, placing it next to the doorway so that he can quickly carry it out once he was ready to leave.

_**It's still early… 7 in the evening won't come sooner… But, what should I do now? I can't really go out and about… the forested area around the Sanctuary stretches for dozens of miles. Maybe… I'll just go take a shower… Of course, even I still have to keep myself hygienic! **_

Phantom removed his clothing, un-wrapped his hood and tattered cape, and took off his white face mask last… exposing his scarred face. He stared at his face in the mirror, a face he could scarcely remember from a different lifetime.

He had a tan skin, most of it scarred in bizarre and intricate patterns which marked where the de-molecular process of Project Vitruvian tore apart pieces of his flesh while it infused his ability to disappear into his skin. His face bore the worst of the scarring, which has improved over time, but even he felt ashamed of the face he had now. It's why he prefers to wear a mask.

He ran his finger down his cheek, feeling the small bristles of his rough and graying beard that didn't grow fully because of the areas where the scarring kept the follicles from forming. He looked into his dark brown eyes that glowed into a full white glow whenever he placed his mask on, to mask his eyes as well as to stay mindful of the area that his whispering effect spread to.

_**This face… this was a face that once belonged to a man named Alejandro Cruz… a man long forgotten by time, remembered only by those who loved and cared for him. This face means nothing to me anymore. This face is just a remnant of a memory…**_

Phantom got into the shower and turned on the showerhead. As it sprayed scalding hot water upon him, he closed his eyes as he leaned his head forward. He ran his right hand through his hair and down the back of his neck, lost in his thoughts...

For a brief moment in time, he lost himself in a memory...

* * *

Phantom slowly woke up with his face down upon the grainy sand of the island in his dreamscape, hearing the sounds of the smooth waves crashing softly upon the sand. He got up from the sand and his eyes squinted at the brightness of the dreamscape's sun above. He draped his black hood over his head, and walked along the familiar beach of his island.

_**This was where I escaped for sixteen years of my life… to this island in the confines of my mind. While imprisoned in what little world I had, I came here, to where my subconscious took me. My powers and ability gave me the power to relive my memories, and the memories of others that I've created mental connections with. Often I lost myself in this dreamscape, speaking to the projections of my memories. **_

As he threaded the sand, he stopped as he saw projections from his memories forming along the beach.

A young Hispanic man, clean-shaven, with a handsome smile and a sensible style sat at the edge of the beach with a beautiful Hispanic girl next to him, she wore a blue sundress and had a white flower in her long and flowing black hair. They stared into each other's eyes as he caressed her cheek and she caressed his, losing each other in their affection.

"I love you, Alejandro." She softly told him with her sweet voice.

"And I love you, Maria…" He leaned in close and kissed her passionately upon her lips. Phantom felt the hard knot in his throat from watching this specific memory as it slowly faded away from his sight.

_**That seemed… like a lifetime ago when I was in love. Maria, the only woman in my life that I ever loved with all my heart… the woman I promised to love forever… the only woman who ever cared to notice Alejandro Cruz when he was still just a nobody… and the one woman who endured all the trouble and pain I brought her… while it lasted.**_

Phantom shook his head, trying to forget the memory, and continued walking, past the spot where the memory of the two lovers sat, leaving only their imprints on the sand. The tides quickly washed it away though, as though washing away the memory itself.

_**I can't dwell on this. Maria has moved on now, found another man to love, a good man, one who was there for both her and my daughter when they needed both husband and a father in their life. I doubt even she remembers these memories… I had almost forgotten them.**_

He stopped as a group of projections formed again from another, more recent memory than the last. A small group of people sat at both ends of a long aisle, where at the end stood a uniformed man and a bride in a graceful white wedding gown, in front of them stood a priest, who read their vows.

_**The wedding… I… remember this. This was… the most special moment in my life… Alejandro's life.**_

"Do you, Maria Gutierrez, take Alejandro Cruz as your lawfully wedded husband? Will you comfort him, and do you vow that for time and for eternity, you will be together forevermore?" The stout priest formally asked the bride.

"I do." Maria happily answered as she glanced over to Alejandro.

"And do you, Alejandro Cruz, take Maria Gutierrez as your lawfully wedded wife? Will you comfort her, and do you vow that for time and for eternity, you will be together forevermore?"

…_**.I did…**_

"I do." Alejandro happily answered as well.

Phantom watched on as the priest continued speaking, he saw the uniformed Alejandro in his dress blues, holding hands with the ever-so beautiful Maria. The moment he cherished for as long as he could remember while he was imprisoned, one of the many memories he constantly replayed in his mind.

He felt the lump return to his throat as an uneasy feeling came across Phantom. This familiar feeling was one he suppressed so hard, the feeling of sadness and loneliness.

"…Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!" The priest finally stated, and the rows of people stood up and cheered the two newlyweds as Alejandro leaned in and kissed Maria ever so passionately, marking one of the happiest memories in both their lives.

… _**Why does my mind continue to take me back to this memory? Have I not relived it enough times?**_

Phantom closed his eyes, and forced the memory away from sight, it faded out of view, and out of mind. He marched up the grassy hill away from the beach, towards the interior of the island.

There was a tall stone pillar with various markings on it that beamed a bright blue light up into the sky, marking the exit to the dreamscape. Phantom took a deep sigh as he approached the stone monument, but stopped as he heard Maria's voice behind him.

"Alejandro." The projection of Maria spoke to him; he turned to see the beautiful Maria, as she looked to him in the final days before he became the Phantom, so many years ago.

"What do you want, Maria?" Phantom rudely asked her.

_**This isn't the real Maria. When I was first imprisoned and I discovered this ability to mentally enter my subconscious, I created this projection of Maria from my memories with her… Everything this projection is and does is from my own memory, not from how she actually is like. She's deceptive and cunning… but she kept me company when I was alone… but now… knowing where the true fate of our love ended… this projection isn't enough. I can't continue lying to myself that one day I'll have her back in my life.**_

"Are you all right, my love? You've grown distant…" Maria approached him and tried to caress his masked face but he quickly turned the hand away.

"Distant? I've done nothing but court the memory of you for sixteen long years in a cell. How in the world have I grown distant?" Phantom angrily asked her.

"Why are you talking to me this way?" She sadly asked him. "You never spoke to me this way…"

Phantom took a deep sigh as he looked away from her. "I have much on my mind; I don't have time to talk to you." He tried to walk away but Maria's projection pulled on his hand, stopping him from doing so.

"You once told me that we would have the rest of our lives to be together!" Maria told him with tears in her eyes. "You can't leave! Please, Alejandro!"

_**As hard as it is for me, this is just my mind playing tricks on me… Maria's projection has a mentality of its own. It's trying to keep me here, with her. This is because when I made the projection, I made it so that I could lose myself easily in my dreamscape, live entire days and weeks in my subconscious… but I cannot do that anymore. **_

Phantom grabbed her hand and threw her off of him. She laid on the grass, crying as she wept for him. "You can't… you can't leave again… You said you'd never leave my side! You promised me this the day you asked me to marry you!"

"You're not even real!" Phantom yelled at her. "You're not the real Maria! You're nothing to me! You're just a figment of my imagination purposed to have kept me company when it really mattered!"

Maria covered her face with her hands as she wept uncontrollably on the grass. "You promised!" she continued to cry, repeatedly.

Phantom shook his head as he turned to face the pillar and slowly walked towards it. He suppressed his emotions of sadness and removed them from his mind with his anger. He then lunged himself into the beam, returning him to the reality of where he was in the Sanctuary.

_**Perhaps in time I'll be able to establish contact with Selena through the dream realm. You'd think it'd be easy but… Selena has a stronger mind than me… more resilient as opposed to Spider-Man's less… intelligent mind. It'll take some time to break down her mental barriers and be able to communicate with her directly.**_

He turned off the shower and dried himself up; gearing himself up with the armor he had placed aside for himself and left his room, walking outside of the Sanctuary towards the nearby river within the forest to ponder what he had just seen.

_**There must be some escape to all this. I've yearned for freedom for so long in my life and... all this seems pointless now. Perhaps there will be a purpose to all this once Specter Haven is formed… maybe then will things get better, but I doubt it sometimes. But I can't let that cloud my judgment, the mission must go on.**_

* * *

"You're joking… Phantom survived?!" Sam was in shock to hear what Ava and Peter told him at lunch. It surprised the group so much so that even Danny didn't know what to say.

**Well, this is the reaction I knew they were going to have! Ava and I told the team what Phantom's planning to have us do… well… they're kind of in between on where they stand on our decision to help.**

"How the hell did he live through that explosion…?" Luke wondered. "Jeez, that guy's made a deal with the devil, he just won't die!"

"It is… strange…" was all Danny could say, lost in his own thoughts and opinions about the situation.

"I don't like how he's taking you both all over the continent for this assignment… You sure he's not playing with you guys?" Luke asked with the suspicion still set on Phantom.

"I'm _pretty_ sure he's not trying to set us up. I mean, he's stuck his neck out for us back on the helicarrier. You _still_ think he's out to get us?" Peter questioned Luke.

"Well, you got to admit webs, we can't really trust anybody who can survive bullets to the face, a sword through the heart, and an exploding helicarrier… that's just… it's not even natural anymore." Sam tried to reason with Peter, making a valid statement but missing the point Peter was trying to make.

"He's not our enemy, guys. Are you all really that thickheaded to believe he's _still_ the bad guy? He fought Deadpool _and_ Taskmaster! He saved Pete from dying!" Ava argued with the team. "…And he's _still_ the bad guy?"

"I do not believe he's inherently evil, but how are you certain that he is not planning to do bad things with his group, 'Specter Haven'?" Danny calmly asked her. "His motives are still masked from the rest of us."

**Danny's right… to a degree. This is just something we have to trust both Agent Coulson's and Hill's judgment on. I mean, they trust Phantom enough to give him what he needs and apparently the Avengers are on-board with this too! I'm **_**pretty**_** sure Nick would be helping out as well.**

"'Specter. Haven.'" Sam emphasized what Danny asked. "Sounds like a lame junkie's nightclub."

"This is serious, Sam, come on." Peter tried to stop Sam from making his own unnecessary comments.

"I _am_ serious! That's a weird name for a team!" Sam shook his head as he took a bite out of his ham sandwich. "I still think we should be called _Nova's Finest_!"

**Ha! Like **_**that**_** will ever happen! I'm pretty sure we'll be called "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" first before Sam ever gets **_**that**_** title for the team!**

"(Sigh), still think you're in charge, huh?" Ava asked Sam, who looked surprised at the question.

"Well…" Sam didn't know how to answer to that.

"I mean, if you want to go on this mission with no certainty of returning home, walking through extremely cold and hot conditions into the unknown, facing mutants with powers possibly stronger and deadlier than Phantom's, then be my guest." Peter laid it out for Sam, who finished his drink and set it down on the table.

**By hot… I mean sunny Los Angeles, but I'm not going to tell _him_ that...**

"I think I'll pass." Sam simply said, then changed the subject. "So what's the rest of us to do while you two lovebirds are gone on this mission with the devil himself?"

Ava reached into her backpack to grab her notepad that she showed to Peter earlier but Pete quickly stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder, she realized the deal they made earlier for her not to give them the harder exercises she planned for them to do… making a smug face in the process.

**I knew she was going to try slipping the team with her list of torture! Lucky for them I'm still looking out for them! **

"Ava and I think it'd be best if you guys just played it safe this next week and do the basics. Luke, you know where the team's limits are, just give them the exercises you think you guys have mastered and just continue with that. Just go with an easy week." Peter explained to the three of them, raising eyebrows at what Pete just said.

"Ava actually _agreed_ with you on that?" Sam wondered obnoxiously. "Jeez, that whole 'Parker Charm' must work wonders on tigers!"

"Can it, Sam." Ava angrily told him. "Don't start with me."

Sam just smirked.

**She must still be mad at the fact Sam was telling the whole school about her and me. Oh boy, Sam's walking on thin ice at this point!**

"You _sure_ you want us to do the basic exercises, Pete?" Luke skeptically asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that we aren't doing the usual tough and hard simulations… but I'm worried that if we get into another serious situation, we might not be well trained enough to face it."

"He is right." Danny concurred. "Practice makes perfect, and we cannot afford to become complacent now."

Sam's jaw dropped, "Are you both _serious_ right now?! They're practically telling us we got a week off and you both still want to do the suicidal exercises!?"

**Now this I didn't expect! Regardless of what I think, Luke and Danny are right! If they continue to train hard, we'll be better off in the end when we **_**do**_** fight the tougher enemies! That way we don't have to rely on the Avengers to have to come bail us out all the time. **

"You must look at it from _our_ point-of-view." Danny tried to reason with Sam, but Sam shook his head as he picked up his finished food tray. "I'm going to go sit with MJ before lunch time is up, catch you two before you guys leave tonight!" Sam walked off.

"Seeing how he is as a person, I am often glad that he is not the leader of the team." Danny solemnly stated. "Despite the fact he leads the best training days during the week... video gaming is quite pleasant.

"Yeah, he'll get over it though. He always does." Luke assured him.

**Rarely… I don't even remember the last time he "got over" something.**

"I'm going to ring his neck for telling the school about us…" Ava murmured quietly.

"Oh, it's not all that bad, Ava. I mean, yeah, the school knows, but they kind of figured you know? Nobody's really said much about it." Luke told her.

"It's just annoying… Pete knows why I have a problem with it. It… it would be bad if our enemies found out about our identities and use our relationship against us!" Ava argued about it.

"Yeah but you're both superheroes… I think you both can handle yourselves." Luke replied sensibly.

"_Thank you_! That's what I've been trying to tell her!" Peter exclaimed, Ava giving him a smug and unconvinced look.

"Ugh… you both don't get it." Ava sighed. "It's whatever."

**It's not **_**that **_**big a deal that the school knows, it's not like anybody here is actively trying to get us. But it's best we stay alert… even Sam has to understand that.**

"As far as Phantom goes, I will suggest that you two be careful when travelling with him. He may be one of our closest allies but he is still an unpredictable character. We all need to be careful." Danny sincerely recommended to both Ava and Peter.

"I'll second that." Luke agreed with a nod. "Let us know where you guys stop at along the way, we'll keep in contact as best we can."

"We appreciate it guys, we really do. But it shouldn't be that big of a deal, just make sure Sam doesn't burn something, it'll be a shame having to miss something like that!" Pete joked.

"We shall record it for you if anything comes up." Danny smiled.

**As much as I complain about these guys sometimes, we share some great and hilarious moments together. To be honest, I wish I could take all of them with me on this mission… but we'll make do for now with what time we do have. **

"I can't wait to see something like that." Ava smiled an evil grin. "Maybe then he'll stop flapping his lips."

"Yeah, one day he'll learn." Luke glanced over to see Sam chatting up what appeared to be a good conversation with MJ. "…but that day is still far away!"

**No kidding. **

"Anyway, I have most of my stuff packed away already, I'll go see Peter after school to help him pack up the rest for the trip." Ava told both Luke and Danny.

"Wait, what?!" Peter was confused. "Ava, I don't really need help packing, do I?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Last time you packed for a trip, you didn't pack enough of anything for how long we were out." Ava reminded him. "Trust me, I remember you complaining about having more pairs of socks than you had underwear."

**Oh boy, I can't believe she remembers that now! I had almost forgotten about that. Oh well, doesn't really matter to me. Maybe that way I'll be able to get everything packed the right way this time! **

"When will you be departing?" Danny calmly asked.

"Phantom wants us out by seven tonight, but Coulson asked us to meet him back here at the school around six so that he can drive us out to the location where we'll be flying out of." Peter answered. "Apparently, they have Phantom holed up at a secret location outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes."

"They actually have a place like that?" Luke was surprised. "Well it _must_ be nice to live there without someone constantly watching you."

"Perhaps they are hearing us now… listening to our conversation." Danny looked around with a sense of paranoia.

"_Might_ be best if you stopped using so much incense when meditating, Danny… might make you crazier than what you already are." Ava joked.

"Soon enough, you'll have a tin foil hat on your head, waiting for the aliens of the sky kingdom to come down." Luke egged on.

"Amusing, but I have never heard of these alien people, Luke, so your claim is false, and the sky kingdom does not exist here. As for the incense, I use just enough, thank you very much." Danny crossed his arms. "The path to enlightenment is granted to those who seek it humbly and with patience."

**Oh man, the fortune cookie king speaks… Man, I'm going to miss these guys for the next week. Being next to Ava will be great, don't' get me wrong but… it's nothing like hanging with the whole team together. I mean, I have my doubts sometimes about missions, but it's the people around you that take that doubt away. Ava and the rest of the team have a knack of doing that for me.**

* * *

The disguised Mystique snuck into a private terminal room on-board Taskmaster's hidden armored ship out in the southeastern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, heading down towards South Africa. She entered the room and ensured nobody else was inside, looking around the corners before she sat down at the terminal and opened up a transmission out of the ship, revealing her true form from her disguise.

Moments later, Magneto's helmed face appeared before her through the display.

"Mystique, what is your status on Taskmaster?" Magneto sternly asked.

"They're still on the course towards the western coast of South Africa." Mystique calmly answered him. "But Taskmaster doesn't know of Deadpool's whereabouts, even _he's_ been trying to locate him with no luck."

"Damn it…" Magneto murmured in anger. "Well, then perhaps we can dissect any remaining information out of him once he's here with us."

Mystique glanced over at the door to the room, she heard footsteps walk past.

"He doesn't seem to know much past what happened with his operation in Manhattan. He seems more concerned about staying hidden from us." Mystique honestly told him. "He seems like a dead end to me."

"A dead end that failed to do what I've both paid and tasked him to do." Magneto quickly corrected her words. "I won't let anyone like that make a fool out of me and get away as easily as running away to Africa on a ship."

"I understand." Mystique quietly responded as more footsteps walked by the room. "Orders?"

"Our accomplice and I have agreed to send in the first batch of Wraiths after Taskmaster before we concentrate our efforts on S.H.I.E.L.D., I think it's time Taskmaster realizes just who exactly he's dealing with here." Magneto threateningly stated to Mystique.

"What shall I do?" Mystique inquired.

"Stay close to Taskmaster, try monitoring his activities and report to me periodically. The Wraiths will attack soon, rest assured. Send me a message to confirm that our forces will be able to take down the ship with relative ease and little opposition." Magneto staunchly answered. "I doubt there will be much opposition at all, but we cannot allow our doubt to predict our movements."

"Will do." Mystique turned off the terminal and quickly disguised herself as the door opened and stood one of Taskmaster's soldiers in the doorway.

"Captain, Taskmaster is looking for you." The soldier informed the disguised Mystique.

"Very well, I'll be there momentarily." She responded.

* * *

"Surfing, surfing, surfing the weeeeeb!" Deadpool sang happily as he sat scrolling through the various web pages on a large monitor inside his hideout, with Fury watching him a couple feet behind, sitting on a stack of crates.

"What in the world are you doing, Deadpool?" Fury frustratingly asked.

"Ohhhhhh, I thought you'd _never_ ask!" Deadpool glanced back at Fury then hopped off his chair. "I'm keeping everybody away from finding out where you and I are hiding, Nicky!"

He pointed to an array of various links that he was spamming every S.H.I.E.L.D. server with, shutting down locations at a time whenever S.H.I.E.L.D. or an unknown factor tried to triangulate the origin of the transmissions from Deadpool's hideout.

"Tell me again. Why have you _kidnapped _me and _locked _me away here with you?!" Fury demanded.

"Oooooh, the question game! I love questions!" Deadpool kicked back on his chair. "Soooo… When were you born?!"

"Deadpool, I'm serious, answer me!"

"I'm serious too!" Deadpool insisted. "Okay, another question then… uhhh… What's Spidey's secret identity?!"

"I'm not _telling _you that, freak!" Fury aggressively answered.

"Is it…" Deadpool pulled up a notepad. "Carl Cartwright?! Daryl Derek?! Eli Einstein?!"

"Now you're just spitting out random names…" Fury sighed.

"No!...maybe!" Deadpool answered back defensively.

"I thought you were sided with Taskmaster…" Fury stated sincerely. "I thought you helped out with this whole mess."

"That's where you're _wrong_, Nicky!" Deadpool stood up and starting pacing around the platform within the cavern. "Taskmaster _paid_ me to go help him out, because he just loveeeees me so much! And I'm not cheap either! So I help him but he doesn't pay me! Big no no! So I went to his private banks, took out all the cash big boss Magneto paid him and now Taskmaster's got nowhere to run with little to no cash left to his name! Ha ha! That'll teach him to not pay me! Call me the hardest working anti-hero in the business!"

"Where's he run off to?!" Fury demanded. "What the hell is Magneto doing wrapped up in all of this?"

"I don't know… West Africa? South Africa? I don't know! I thought Africa was one giant country!" Deadpool answered back. "That doesn't matter now, Fury! You're safe with me, for now!"

"And what are _you_ going to do about all this?"

Deadpool laughed. "Don't you worry about a think, old buddy Nick Fury! I've made all the arrangements possible, for we're going to make great things happen!" Deadpool pressed a button on a metallic platform and loud and obscene nightclub music began to play, the crystal ball shining its bright lights in all directions of the darkened cavern.

"And what 'great' things do you intend to do?" Fury questioned.

"You'll see!" Deadpool turned to face the loud music from the speakers and placed a pair of sunglasses over his masked eyes. "I'm going to make this story look _good_."

"I doubt that." Fury murmured quietly.

* * *

Another chapter down! Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions, I'll take them all into consideration as I continue writing the story. Also, as a side note, I went to go see _**Guardians of the** **Galaxy **_last night. I greatly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but I'm sure you readers have already made plans to go see it anyway! Thanks again guys, as always, feedback is appreciated!

I know you've all also have made speculations as to who this hooded character is. I appreciate your thoughts on the subject but I'll say now that the character isn't anybody from the existing Marvel universe, even though some guesses were accurate to the description. I will say however, that the hooded character is an OC, but as the story continues, I'll leave enough clues for you all to _guess_ as to who he is.

Also, I'd like to thank **latinoheat151** for helping me continue write the story as well for allowing me to help write his own. I extend my courtesy of helping **anyone** who'd like my own feedback on their stories. I love reading the content from other writers, and I've read quite a few here recently that are worth reading.

Again, thank you readers for your continued interest in my story.


	5. Venturing Out

_**Venturing Out**_

* * *

Magneto walked through the steel walls of his facility, accompanied closely by his hooded accomplice. They marched in silence as they approached where the Wraiths were being held.

"Once I give the word, I'll send them along with a group of my mutants to find and capture Taskmaster, and kill whatever remains of his men on his ship." Magneto confidently told his hooded ally. "He's going to pay for betraying me, and once we find Deadpool, I'll make sure the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. understands what I'm planning to do."

"Deadpool will be difficult to locate. His slippery nature will keep us at bay until we can find more information on his whereabouts." The hooded man calmly replied.

"Any idea as to _why_ Taskmaster is heading towards the coast of South Africa?" Magneto curiously asked.

"He has close contacts from around the world. I guess he thought he could've lied low in that part of the world."

"Interesting…" Magneto commented. "Well, he has nowhere to run now."

They arrived at two large steel doors, and Magneto used his magnetic power to open the doors without touching them, revealing a large and dim-lit room with metallic plating on the walls, as though it were some sort of training room. Sabretooth and Toad, two members of Magneto's Brotherhood, stood in front of a row of Wraiths in the middle of the room.

Sabretooth grunted his greeting and Toad nodded in the direction of their leader. "We got the Wraiths, boss." Toad croaked.

"Good… At last we have the results from almost two decades of experimentation." Magneto approached the silent Wraiths, who stood almost motionless in the presence of Magneto.

Their physical appearance remained the same as the last time Magneto saw them in the secret compound where they were breeding them. Their eyes were white and lifeless, and their skin a sickly pale color, but this time, they wore a black type of reinforced armor that protected vital areas of their bodies.

The armor covered the front side of their forearms stretching down to their hands, their shoulders, and their chest. The lower torso was exposed but plating covered the front side of their legs and down to their feet. A face-plate covered their nose and their mouth, and they had what appeared to be small earpieces covering both their entire ears.

"They've been armored and fitted to obey your command." Sabretooth spoke with his deep and animal-like voice.

"I think the boys back at the compound got them to talk too." Toad added. "They should be able to understand you, boss."

"Is that so?" Magneto glanced at his mutants. "Let's test that out then." He approached one of the Wraiths, who simply stared back at Magneto with his lifeless eyes.

"Do you _understand_ me?" Magneto calmly and slowly asked the creature.

"Yes." It spoke with a scratchy and fading voice.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Master." It answered calmly.

"Good. Now tell me, do you remember anything that took place before your creation? Any memories? Feelings?" Magneto continued questioning. The creature stood silent for a good minute, not answering anything at all. "Hmm… It seems the memory erasing process worked." Magneto looked towards another Wraith, but the one he was speaking to spoke its answer.

"Family."

Magneto slowly glanced back at the Wraith that spoke, and returned his attention to him. "Family? What do you remember about 'family'?" Magneto sternly questioned the Wraith.

"Love." The Wraith answered with its scratchy voice. Magneto looked at his hooded accomplice for an explanation to this.

"I had _figured_ that the trait of love would still be present. It took us _decades_ before we were able to fully wipe out any memory tying itself to the emotion of love from the Wraiths _we_ created." The hooded ally calmly stated with a sigh at the end of his sentence.

"How come you didn't mention this before? This can lead to a problem." Magneto firmly stated with a tone of anger in his voice. "I have Wraiths who can still recall the emotion of _love_. I wanted them _voided_ of these emotions."

"They will do their job; I can assure you of that. The control chip you had installed in their brains will prevent them from disobeying your order. The fact they remember memories of love is only traces of their emotions from their previous form when they were humans, it'll take further intense experimentation to fully wipe that out." The hooded character confidently stated. "But it won't interfere."

"Are you certain?" Magneto aggressively asked. "I cannot afford to have any mistakes. I'm risking this mission as it is sending these prototype Wraiths to go capture Taskmaster."

"Try it for yourself then, Magneto." The hooded character slyly replied. "Speak a command to that Wraith."

Magneto looked back at the Wraith he was speaking to with much skepticism. He shook his head in disbelief as he approached him one last time. "Wraith." He turned to look at Toad. "Attack the mutant called 'Toad'."

"Wait… what? Boss?" Toad didn't expect that.

Within seconds, the Wraith disappeared instantaneously in a blink of an eye. Toad was quickly knocked down. "Boss! Help! You can't do this to me! Aaaah!"

The Wraith reappeared over Toad and started slashing him with its claws and screeching a loud and disturbing noise, signaling the other Wraiths to join in. Sabretooth laughed in evil joy as he watched Toad get slashed up, but Magneto watched carefully as they rushed in to kill Toad, until he finally ordered, "Stop."

They stopped in an instant, walking back into their row, leaving a slashed up and bloody Toad behind, but he was still alive. His healing factor quickly kicked in and healed up the severe wounds. "W-why'd you do that to me?!" Toad pathetically asked.

"Just making sure they obeyed my command." Magneto answered calmly. "You'll live."

"Impressive." The hooded man slowly clapped his hands with a tone of sarcasm. "And here I thought they would stand there and question your command."

"I had to be sure they would follow." Magneto faced him. "Now that I'm sure… we can proceed with the plan."

Magneto turned to Sabretooth, who stood with his arms crossed waiting for instruction from his master. "Sabretooth, you'll be leading this team of Wraiths to go find and capture Taskmaster. I've already briefed you on his location. You'll make contact with Mystique once you have boarded."

"Why is _she _always involved?" Sabretooth distrustfully grunted his question.

"She is a powerful mutant, and you know we use her deceptive skills to maximize our effectiveness." Magneto angrily lectured him. "Don't question my plan again, Sabretooth."

Toad snickered, seeing that Magneto was reprimanding Sabretooth.

Magneto's hooded ally walked closer to the conversation. "I have a better idea, Magneto. Why don't _you _lead the Wraiths to Taskmaster's ship?"

"Sounds like a better plan to me, boss." Toad croaked his comment.

Magneto took a moment to contemplate this suggestion. "I suppose it's time I start doing things myself. I can't trust simple-minded individuals to complete these complex tasks for me. I'm going after Taskmaster specifically for that very reason."

"Hey!" Sabretooth caught onto the fact Magneto called him simple-minded.

"I'll keep an eye on things here." The hooded man assured Magneto. "I'm sure Taskmaster will have a harder time to escape when you're the one he's directly running from on-board his ship."

"Agreed." Magneto flashed a grin underneath his helmet. "This should be interesting…"

* * *

"Make sure you get enough shirts as well as sweaters to keep you warm." Ava told Peter as she folded his clothes to pack neatly into a small briefcase. "It's hard enough that we got to pack for both _cold _and _warm_ conditions."

"Thanks, _mom_." Peter sighed as he opened the drawers in his room to find the right shirt or the right sweater to bring.

**So yeah, school's over and now Ava's come with me back home to help me pack up clothes for this trip. It's a little annoying, and frustrating, but she's just trying to help, even if she's dictating how much and what exactly I need to bring. **

**I would've asked Aunt May to help me pack but then she'd see my Spidey costumes, and I would've had to explain **_**that**_**. "Yeah Aunt May, I forgot to mention, I'm freaking Spider-Man! How about them apples?"… I'm not rich enough to tell the whole world I'm Spider-Man like Tony Stark did telling everyone he's Iron Man, let alone brave enough to tell my own Aunt that I'm the city's wall-crawling superhero.**

"Peter, you've _got_ to be more organized." Ava told him as she walked over to see him sifting through a mismatched drawer full of shirts, socks, and jeans.

"I got it, Ava, don't worry. What else do I need?" Peter handed her a rather wrinkly but small pile of shirts and sweaters. She walked back to the briefcase and neatly folded it in.

"Uhhh… I think that's about it. You got the right amount of everything now!" She happily stated. Peter walked over and his eyes widened at the neatly folded but abnormally tall stack of folded clothing in the briefcase.

**That's… a lot of clothes. It's even sticking up past the actual size of the briefcase… I don't think it's going to fit. **

"That stack of clothes is too tall to fit in the briefcase, Ava." Peter pointed it out. She looked at it for a good second, but shrugged.

"It'll close, Peter. Trust me; I've had to pack like this before." She confidently told him.

"If you say so…" Peter grabbed the handle to close the briefcase, but couldn't even remotely shut it all the way; the stack of clothes was just too high.

**This is too damn high!**

"It won't shut." Peter stopped trying. Ava shook her head as she grabbed the handle and attempted to shut it but with no luck either.

"Hmm… Maybe it'll work if we put it on the floor and try stepping the top down to shut?" Peter suggested. They carefully picked up the briefcase and set it down on the floor, Peter turned it to where he'd be able to step down on it.

"Want to help?" He asked Ava, who nodded.

"Why the heck do you have a briefcase and not an actual case used for luggage?"Ava questioned before they continued.

"Never had to, never traveled... _remember_?" Peter simply answered.

**Like I've said before, and I'll say it again so get used to it… here goes nothing. **

They both stepped down on the briefcase as hard as they could and finally got it to shut, with their feet still on the top of the briefcase. "I can't believe that actually worked." Ava stated, amazed.

"Of course it worked! It's me!" Peter dashed a grin.

"Uh-huh." Ava shook her head with a smile.

Suddenly, the top of the briefcase where they stood from started to shake, and then, the force from the tall stack of clothing broke the top off, spring-boarding Ava and Peter off into the air and sending all the clothes inside flying. Peter landed on his bed, and Ava landed right on top of him. They looked at each other in surprise.

"Uh…" Ava didn't know what to say. "This is…awkward!"

**Well, for the record, I don't **_**mind**_** this if we didn't have a bunch of stuff to do already!**

"Peter! Ava! I brought some cookies for you to munch on!" Aunt May knocked at the door but opened it and walked in with a plate of cookies in her hand, she froze in her tracks as she saw the position Ava and Peter were in... on Peter's bed.

**Crap… Crap, crap, crap, holy spider-sense! This isn't what it looks like!**

Ava quickly got off of Peter and Peter quickly stood up off from the bed. "Whoa Aunt May! It's not what it looks like!" Peter nervously told her.

"It really wasn't!" Ava assured her. "We weren't doing anything like that!"

Aunt May dashed a quick smile. "Well then! I'm going to _pretend_ like I didn't see that and leave this plate of cookies right here on the dresser, you two. Remember Peter, be _safe_ about it!" She kindly told him as she walked out of the room back downstairs to the living room.

Ava and Peter looked at each other with a surprised look.

"Well… that _didn't_ just happen!" Peter nervously told her with a smile.

"Nope! I don't know what you're talking about!" Ava returned the smile sarcastically and they went to pick up the clothes that were scattered about to re-pack into the briefcase.

"Well... I didn't _mind_ it." Peter quietly told her. She glanced over at him with a smile, shaking her head as she continued to pick up clothes.

"Me neither."

**I guess that confirmed some of Aunt May's suspicions but I'm just glad she didn't freak out about it or anything. That would've been bad. **

**We're just about done; we'll just finish up folding the clothes, grab a bite with Aunt May and head out to the school. It's so strange going something as big as this mission with a guy like Phantom, but it feels so exciting too! I wonder what he's doing right now.**

* * *

Phantom sat on the bank of the calm and flowing river, calmly waiting as the day turned into late afternoon, almost into the evening. He stared down into his reflection on the water, and glided his hand down its stream.

_**I remember I sat next to a river like this once in my childhood... it's been so long since I felt the cool touch of a running river touch my actual hands.**_

Within moments, he lost himself into his thoughts once again, but this time, he connected himself to the mental connection that existed between him and his daughter, Selena. He was finally able to access her mind, and saw what she saw now, through her eyes...

Selena was in the dining room with her mother, helping clean up the table after what Phantom assumed was a family dinner. Selena carried the plates to the sink where Fernand was helping wash the dishes.

**_He seems to be doing better after getting fatally shot... good thing we were able to save him in time._ **

"Selena, did you finish your homework?" Maria asked her daughter as she wiped down the table with a paper towel.

"Uhh…" Selena realized she had forgotten. "Not yet, mom."

"Selena, you need to do it." Fernand commented on it as he finished washing a glass cup. "You're going to have to start applying to colleges soon, and colleges will only accept students who get good grades, you know?"

"I know, I know." Selena quietly sighed.

Phantom was able to separate himself from Selena's first person view to see the entire room in a third-person setting in his own form.

_**I see that they've remained a normal family even after the events that took place with Taskmaster and the helicarrier… that warms my heart to see them greatly unaffected.**_

"Selena." Her mother reiterated, giving her a look only a mother can give to her child. "Please go do it, dear."

"All right, mom." Selena finished helping and went upstairs to go do her homework. Phantom was able to linger a little while longer however, seeing Maria and Fernand in the kitchen together.

"She'll be fine, Maria." Fernand finished the dishes. "She's a strong kid."

"She's just so smart and determined, just like her father… but she slacks off a lot on her homework." Maria shook her head. "I don't want her to have to struggle."

_**I was hardly smart or determined... and I always slacked off on my homework as well. Selena didn't fall far from the tree it seems... but Maria's right... I don't want her to have to struggle the way her mother and I both did.**_

"She won't, honey." Fernand held Maria's hand and looked into her eyes. "We're still there for her."

Maria faintly smiled and kissed Fernand. "Thanks honey. I'll go check her homework here in a bit once I finish reading the mail."

_**Maria… She's aged so much from the memories of her. So have I, from the time she saw me before I came Phantom. She's still so beautiful… Alas… the time between she and I has come and gone. **_

Phantom turned to go upstairs to go see Selena as the room faded into darkness because Selena's mind had moved on from the room.

He entered Selena's room to find a fairly neat room with one interesting theme: Spider-Man. Everywhere. She had posters of the web-slinger on the walls as well as news articles about him posted here and there. To say that Selena was a fan of Spider-Man would be putting it lightly.

_**This is... very disturbing. There is nothing more disturbing to find a Spider-Man themed girl's room. Who the heck licenses this crap**_** anyway?**

Phantom took a look at the label from one of the posters of Spider-Man that Selena had up.

_**Marvel Comics?... Hmm... I suspect they'll make an attempt to make a Spider-Man film next if all this crap is his merchandise. I highly doubt that however... I mean, what are they to do? Add villains like the Green Goblin? Electro? Or even Rhino? Ha! That'll be the day! That's almost as far-fetched as him joining the Avengers. Of course the kid's got potential but... he still has much to learn. **_

Selena sat at her desk, facing away from Phantom but he paced around the room, looking at the different articles of Spider-Man she had in her room. He stopped to see a hand-drawn picture of Spider-Man with hearts around him.

_**Good god… My daughter is infatuated with Spider-Man. Perhaps it'd be best if I kept this to myself… no telling what White Tiger would do if she found out my own daughter has a crush on Spider-Man... who is of the same age as her, mind you. **_

Selena unzipped her backpack and took out a textbook and a few sheets of paper to write on and she began to do whatever homework her teacher had left her. Phantom walked closer, noticing a familiar picture on her desk.

It was of Maria and him the day of their wedding. Alejandro was holding Maria by the waist behind her as the sun was beginning to set behind them, the both of them smiling at the camera. It was a wonder to Phantom as to why Selena had this picture on her desk.

_**Perhaps it was something she s kept to contemplate on for emotional reasons… **_

As he continued examining her desk, he saw recent newspaper articles that were cut out that had some interesting titles. "_Mysterious 'Phantom' Saves Grand Central Station!"_, "'_Phantom' stops Electro!"_, and one titled "_S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier crashes into the Hudson during city's invasion, 0 Survivors"._

_**She was following me very closely it seems. Selena does have some sort of genuine interest in who I am as her father... but I assume she suspects me dead. I'd try harder to establish a stronger connection with her but she has such a strong mental barrier… I can't even read her thoughts!**_

Selena glanced backwards, as though she sensed Phantom's presence there. She looked around then slowly got up from her chair and approached Phantom, even though Phantom wasn't even physically there.

"Mom? Is that you there?" Selena called out, but no answer was received.

_**She can sense me? But how? Unless she's just that aware of her thoughts where she can sense me lingering in her subconscious... No, impossible to do that… Is it?**_

She shrugged as she returned to her chair, continuing to do her homework. Phantom took a deep breath before approaching her again, and gently placing his hand slowly on her shoulder.

_**Selena won't be able to hear me but… I feel it right to tell her this.**_

"I just want you to know how much I love you as a father to his daughter." Phantom spoke softly and calmly. "I just… wish we could speak… more directly than this…" Phantom held his head low in frustration.

Selena's eyes widened as she stopped writing, she looked over to her shoulder where Phantom's hand was and followed his hand up to his face. He noticed that she was looking directly up at him and her jaw dropped. "Dad?!"

_**What!? **_

Surprised, Phantom stepped back, tripping on her backpack and falling backwards onto the carpet, but as Phantom opened his eyes… he realized he had landed backwards onto the grass of the river's bank. He had disconnected himself from Selena's mind.

"Ow…" Phantom said in pain as he stood back up and looked around.

_**Damn! I was able to talk to my daughter! It was a bit short-lived but… if I can do that again, I'd make another attempt at directly talking to her! **_

_**If only… but it's almost time to leave… I got to get ready before Coulson arrives with Spider-Man and White Tiger.**_

_**I've got to try that again!**_

* * *

"You guys got everything?" Luke attentively asked as he helped Peter and Ava carry their two cases full of clothing towards the school. The rest of the team following. "If you guys forget anything, it's going to be hard sending it over."

**Pretty sure we got everything… I even brought my charger for my phone so; I think we're ready and prepped. **

"It is almost six in the evening." Danny looked at his watch. "I wonder where this secret location is that requires Coulson an hour to drive out to."

"_Knowing_ Phantom, I bet it's some creepy old facility full of S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets." Sam joked. "Just you watch, that'll be the case!"

"Or it could just be someplace far away enough so that S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't suspect that we're about to go meet up with Phantom." Peter suggested.

**Just trying to be logical here, I don't think Phantom would even remotely try coming back to the city unless he was really careful about it. After the attack, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tripled security around the city… I think they have checks at the toll booths now… Pfft, as if Manhattan wasn't already hard enough to get into with all this insane traffic!**

"Just make sure you three don't end up blowing up the Tri-carrier, or worse." Ava warned the team.

"We'll be fine, don't worry! They got me!" Sam grinned. "With me around, things will operate a lot better, trust me!"

**Boy, does Sam sure know how to joke about his leadership skills.**

"The last time you were in charge, our effectiveness in training was considerably worse than whenever we trained with Ava and Peter." Danny calmly commented, surprising Sam.

"Hey! It was not my fault that Coulson raised the difficulty on those bots to near impossible settings!" Sam argued. "But besides that…"

"_Anyway_…" Peter changed the subject. "The sooner we get to where we need to go the better, that way we can find these mutants and start finding out a way to stop Magneto."

"Just be careful guys, I worry about what might happen to you two on this mission, especially with Phantom." Luke told them with a tone of concern.

"Thanks, Luke. Peter and I will be fine though, don't worry." Ava assured him.

**Good thing we're leaving Luke with the care of the team, we really couldn't have picked a better choice for that responsibility. **

They arrived at the empty school with the darkening sky overhead. The empty parking lot had one dark-tinted window, vintage-looking car, with Coulson standing, leaned against the car.

"Good evening, team." Coulson greeted them as he approached them.

"Hey Coulson." Peter greeted back. "We on time?"

"Yes, actually." Coulson checked his watch. "You two have a bit of time to say goodbye before we head out. We need to leave within the next five minutes if we are to beat traffic out of here."

"Thanks, Coulson." Ava gratefully said as Coulson grabbed the cases and placed them in the trunk of the car.

Peter and Ava turned to their teammates, who didn't look eager to see their close friends go.

**I hate goodbyes, it's the worst thing ever to have to say goodbye. I don't know what the outcome to this crazy mission is going to be but… I don't want my team to worry about us either. **

"I guess this is…goodbye, for now." Luke said with a sigh.

"No, it's a 'see you later', big guy." Peter assuredly told him as they shook hands and had a bro-hug.

"It better be, web-head." Luke looked at Ava. "Take care of him, Ava. Even Spidey needs saving sometimes."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on him." Ava smiled at Peter. "Take care, Luke. Make sure the rest of them trains as best they can."

"I will." Luke gave her a hug. Danny stepped up to both Peter and Ava.

**Luke's a great friend, I feel bad for not having brought him. His reasonable approach towards things as well as his friendly humor really defines him as a great hero to have on your side, that and along with his superhuman strength would've come in handy if we ran into a larger enemy out there, but his skills are needed here. I know he'll do fine leading the team until we get back.**

"It seems this is where we depart for now, friends." Danny solemnly told them. "I wish we could accompany you on this mission, but it is for the best I suppose."

"You know if I could take the whole team, I would, Danny." Peter told him in all honesty. "If we get into a bad spot, I'll call you guys up for sure."

"I hope it does not come down to that, my dear friend." Danny calmly responded. "I know you both are more than capable enough to fight anything that comes your way."

"Thanks, Danny." Ava told him. "We'll keep in touch as often as we can."

Danny bowed to the both of them. "May you both find wisdom in unity, and courage in whatever obstacle you may face next. Heed to each other's company, and find warmth and solace in the heart of the other, for you two are not alone, no matter how far apart we may be. Good luck, my friends."

**Ah, the Fortune Cookie King speaks! Danny would've been of great help too! His outrageously good hand-to-hand fighting skills are better than some of the techniques even Tiger and me use, and his fortune-cookie advice would've been a nice sentimental touch. But he'll be fine here with Luke, he's been and always will be the peaceful keeper of the balance between the three boys.**

"Ugh… Do I _have_ to say goodbye?" Sam complained. "I mean, can I just text you guys later? It's just a week! It's not like we'll _not _see each other again in a week!"

"You could just say goodbye now and we won't have to ask Luke and Danny to slay you in training later on." Peter smirked.

"Uh, no thanks!" Sam shrugged. "Fine… Good luck, guys. Try not to get sprung on some weird, invisible trap Phantom might have set up. And if you do, _pleeeaaase_ take pictures and stay alive long enough to show us when you guys get back!"

"Eh, might be iffy on the whole taking pictures part, but don't worry, Sam. We'll be fine." Peter assured him humorously.

"Oh, I know. I'm not worried about that in the slightest. Jeez, you two lovebirds get to go on this whole vacation-trip to find a trio of freaks while the three of us just sit here and slay each other in training!" Sam continued on. "Next time, _I'm_ going, webs. No doubt about that!"

**Oh Sam, sometimes I wonder if I **_**should've**_** taken you, or if I'm genuinely happy that I didn't. In all honesty, he would've been of great use with his energy projection and his ability to fly. We could've covered greater distances that way, but I think his sarcasm and his attitude will be much more appreciated back here with the guys, at least for now. I'll think about taking up his offer to take him out next time. **

"All right, Sam. You take care." Peter told him, however, Ava quickly grabbed him by the collar.

"Whoa! Ava, what gives?!" Sam squirmed.

"Shut those lips, Sam!" She angrily told him. "If we come back a week from now and find out the _whole _city, _all _of S.H.I.E.L.D., or even the whole _internet_ knows about Peter and me… Let's just say training is going to get a lot harder for you and everybody else for a good while!"

"Bad…kitty!" Sam gulped. "All right, all right! Sorry I told everybody! I just thought, hey, you know, it'd be cool to tell people about the juicy gossip! You know? Heh heh, come on, Tiger!"

"All right, Ava, I think he's learned his lesson." Peter put his hand on Ava's shoulder, which prompted her to let go of him.

"Whew, it's a good thing you're taking her along." Sam straightened himself out. Ava fixed her glare on him.

"All right, Ava, I _promise_ not to tell anybody." Sam sincerely said in a serious tone as he extended his hand. "Seriously though, good luck you two."

Ava accepted his apology and shook his hand. "You've been warned, Alexander."

"Jeez, way to cheat death there, Sam." Luke commented with a chuckle.

"It's a gift." Sam grinned.

**Well that was a close one! I know Ava can keep her temper in check though, there was no real need to threaten Sam, he's harmless! **

**I'm going to miss the team for the next week though! I got to tell myself that they aren't here, so that if we do get into a bit of trouble, I don't start shouting commands that only Powerman, Iron Fist, or Nova would know. Hopefully they don't kill each other while we're out, that'd be **_**bad**_**.**

"Time to go, you two." Coulson told them as he opened the door at the driver's seat.

Ava and Peter looked at their team one last time. They had down faces, but they started waving at them and they waved back. Peter opened the door for Ava as she got in and took a look back at his team.

"Go get em, web-head!" Sam called out to him. "Tell Phantom to work that stick out of his butt and come say hi to us, or else we'll come find him!"

"Haha, will do, guys, take care!" Peter got in and closed the door.

"I'll see you three at school tomorrow." Coulson said his goodbye to the rest of the team and got in the driver's seat.

Coulson drove the car out of the parking lot, Ava and Peter watching behind as they saw their friends fade out of view. They drove through Midtown and Coulson started making his way out of the city. At every stop light, he would take a sip from his thermos he had on the cup holder.

"You two ready for this assignment?" Coulson asked out of the blue, about ten minutes after their departure.

**If I had a nickel for every time we've been asked if we're "ready" for this yet I'd be a rich superhero. Jeez, it's not like we have a choice now whether or not we're **_**ready**_**!**

"Well, to be honest, we can't really be _ready_ because we still don't know what we're up against." Ava answered him truthfully.

"It's fine. You both have kept your fighting skills sharp." Coulson told them. "I have no doubt that you two will be fine in this assignment."

"Thanks Coulson." Peter told him. "Hey, so what's the news back at S.H.I.E.L.D.? I saw the news this morning, seeing all those rioters at the gates to the Triskelion."

Coulson took a deep sigh. "It's just been chaos, Parker. Acting Director Hill doesn't have the same pull on the senior leadership as Fury had, even if they disliked him. We're having trouble keeping order throughout the country and a few nations have already banned our presence in their borders. The situation is slowly deteriorating."

**I didn't know it'd be that bad! It looks like Taskmaster's little master plan to get the people against S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't fall far from the actual goal of destroying the organization.**

"The people have simply stopped trusting us." Coulson continued. "Their ammunition is the fact a little over 20,000 people are still missing from Taskmaster's attack and a thousand more are dead because we failed to protect the city when it mattered the most."

"Do _you_ still trust them, Coulson?" Ava asked a serious question. Coulson glanced at her through the rearview mirror then back at the road.

"I believe S.H.I.E.L.D.'s true motives are to protect the people from all enemies, human or mutant… Fury believed that in order to achieve those motives, sometimes we have to go behind the organization from time to time to make sure things get done." Coulson answered sincerely. "If that means hiding the most wanted rogue fugitive, Phantom, from S.H.I.E.L.D., then so be it. I'm not going to be one of the agents who simply stands by and watches as the entire agency destroys itself."

**Wow, this is some deep stuff to hear from Coulson. I never imagined him to be so hell-bent on preserving S.H.I.E.L.D. that he'd hide stuff from it if it meant keeping it safe. I don't even know if that makes sense. **

"Do you think we can fully trust Phantom?" Peter curiously asked, remembering how the rest of the team had their reserved opinions about him.

"He saved our lives on the helicarrier… and risked his own. Stark and the rest of the Avengers seem ready to trust him, and truth be told, he's our only real hope against Magneto." Coulson calmly answered as he turned to get onto the bridge out of the city. The road was rebuilt but much of the vital parts of the structure still needed repairing. "If we can get the X-Men on this, their help would benefit us even more against Magneto. They've been fighting him for years."

"I wonder why he didn't ask any of the Avengers for their help on this… they're more experienced than us." Ava stated as she glanced over to Peter.

**I know she still thinks about it, she still doesn't want me to go join the Avengers if they offered me the opportunity… but I'm just glad this whole situation has put that on hold for now.**

"Phantom can only trust you, Peter, you and his family. Anybody outside that circle is suspect, including me." Coulson told them. "He wanted your judgment and help on this mission."

"Well I'm _flattered_." Peter sarcastically replied. "We didn't even help that much though, we went after Deadpool and Taskmaster, that's it. And Phantom's the one who actually stopped Taskmaster… I almost _died_ trying to stop that maniac."

"For now, I'd just cling onto the fact he trusts you. Use that to your advantage." Coulson answered. "We'll help out as much as we can on our end, but for now, the situation is up to you two."

**Well isn't that helpful… At least Phantom's the one with all the information about these mutants.**

The rest of the car ride remained silent, with Coulson continuously sipping a little bit more of what seemed an endless supply of coffee in his thermos. The sky began to darken now a little bit more with each passing minute, and the landscape slowly turned from an urban setting to a suburban environment becoming more rural and rural as they continued driving.

Coulson then took a turn off the main road and into a side road that led them farther into the rural side. Soon, they drove onto a trail that stretched for miles and miles. Ava didn't think it would ever end, but finally they reached what appeared to be an old abandoned power station out in the middle of the woods.

The car stopped in front of it, with its headlights shining brightly upon the old metal door to the power station. "Come on." Coulson told them as he got out of the car with the engine still running.

**It's 7:14 PM, we came a little late but I hope Phantom doesn't mind that. Traffic is brutal anyway. Man… I hate being in the woods in the dark. It's like the time I played that spooky computer game with Sam where some weird faceless dude in a suit followed me throughout a forest while I tried collecting some weird pages. Ugh… scarred memories. **

"You're late." A familiar voice spoke, Phantom slowly faded out of thin air into view. He stood tall, clad in his Specter Haven black armor and his metal bracers shining from the blue tint of the electricity pulsating from them.

**I'm beginning to think every time we meet up with Phantom he looks more and more like a bad-ass with each meeting. And here's me saying that after he's survived almost every possible death imaginable… that healing factor is legendary! **

**Why don't I have a healing factor you may ask? Technically I do but it's nowhere near as powerful and fast as Phantom's… It's like comparing the fastest internet type possible to dial-up… and all if you remember dial-up, then you can see where my **_**healing factor **_**lies in comparison to Phantom's.**

**I'll have to have a really serious conversation with Stan the Janitor about this whole healing factor business once I get back.**

"Don't remind me, traffic was murder." Coulson sighed then rushed over to the trunk. He popped it open and took out their suitcases full of clothes and dropped them in front of Phantom.

"Spider-Man. White Tiger." Phantom nodded his greeting at them both. "I'd like to thank you again for joining me in this mission upon my request."

**He's always so formal… too formal. He's more polite than Danny at times. **

"Hey, don't mention it, Phantom." Peter assured him. "It's the least we could do."

"I bet it'll be interesting to see others like you, huh?" Ava asked him in good nature.

"Yes… It will be." Phantom lost himself in thought for a quick moment before returning his attention towards Coulson.

**I wonder what the heck he thinks about when he spaces out like that, sometimes I think he's having some sort of bad flashback. **

"I got to get going back before S.H.I.E.L.D. starts to suspect my absence." Coulson informed him. "It's why a two-hour window was needed."

"Very well." Phantom crossed his arms. "Thank you again, Coulson… I'll stay in touch."

"Of course, Phantom." Coulson turned his attention to Peter and Ava.

"Pete, Ava. You take care now, all right? From here on out until you return, Phantom's in charge of this mission. He'll report to me in any case something happens, but if he can't, you two can still contact me via these special communicators." Coulson handed them both a black version of their normal communicators, with Specter Haven's symbol on it. "They're a one-way call, so use them only in emergencies."

**That's awfully convenient. I just hope Phantom doesn't decide to kidnap us now and not tell Coulson about it until we're dead. (Sarcasm) Wouldn't that just be the worst start to your week?**

"Got it, Coulson, thanks." Peter told him sincerely.

"We'll keep in contact." Ava assured him.

Coulson nodded as he got back into his car and quickly backed up away from the area, leaving them in the dark of the forest. Phantom quickly charged his bracers and used the electricity to create a bright blue light from his palm. He held it up in the sky to illuminate the area.

He picked up a suitcase and beckoned Peter to pick up the other. They both walked through the forest as Phantom walked through with his illuminating light held up high in his hand.

"What is this place?" Ava asked Phantom as they continued walking through the forest.

"That power station you saw back there is the entrance to the Sanctuary, a safe-house kept secret from S.H.I.E.L.D., but really it's just a large underground bunker." Phantom briefly explained. "It's been my home for the past month."

"…and where are we headed now?" Peter curiously asked.

"The aircraft is right… here." Phantom led them out into an open field near the river, where a medium sized black transport aircraft was, and the sides of the body had the white hooded symbol of Specter Haven. It looked brand new, but obvious modifications had to have been made on it.

"Did Coulson trademark that symbol for you or something?" Peter jokingly asked.

"I'm not sure; I'll have to ask him about that later." Phantom humorously answered. "Come on, let's get moving."

* * *

Well, that's the chapter until next weekend, readers. I'd like to know what each of you think about how the story is going, and what you each think about these "Wraiths" and what kind of role they'll be playing within these following chapters.

Again, I appreciate everyone's time in reading it, review or not, I appreciate it. But **_as_**_ **always**_, feedback is appreciated, and I _should _be able to have the next chapter up by this next weekend. Any other thoughts, comments, or concerns can be left in the form of a PM or a review, I'll get back to you as best I can, thanks! :)


	6. Ascension

_**Ascension**_

* * *

"Taskmaster," one of the masked specialists from the command center on-board Taskmaster's ship approached the skull-faced mercenary leader with what appeared to be an urgent piece of paper in his hand.

"What is it?" Taskmaster asked as he stood, staring at a large map display of the globe within the command center. It had various points throughout the map, displaying the points of contact that Taskmaster still had connections to around the world.

"You've requested the status of our men who are still stateside." The specialist answered, prompting Taskmaster to turn to face him with his expressionless mask who waited for an answer. The specialist looked at the paper. "We've lost contact with all our cells on the eastern coast of the country and haven't received any updates from our agents who were still in Manhattan for the past 48 hours… which we can assume they've been discovered and either killed or captured."

Taskmaster nodded slowly, covering his face in frustration with his palm and sighing in grief. "All right, fine." He turned to face the map. "Thank you for the update."

The specialist left but the captain of the ship then entered the command center and walked towards Taskmaster, who was still examining the map with much curiosity. He cited on the map that the cells on the eastern coast of the United States were gone, meaning they've lost all contact within the region they were most critically worried about. The agents on the ship were literally now all that he had left of his original force that he used to take Manhattan.

"We'll be passing through a storm within the next set of hours as dawn approaches." Taskmaster told the captain. "It's looking to be rough waters so ensure that the men onboard are prepared, it should keep us hidden from any of the other ships in these parts."

"Understood, Taskmaster." The captain politely replied. "Should I leave any men on the top deck to man the machine gun defenses for security?"

"The storm looks pretty bad… I'd prefer not to have anybody up there because I can't afford to lose any more men… but it's a risk I'll have to take. Take a small team to secure the top deck once the storm arrives and have them take shifts. Although I highly doubt anyone's going to discover our location out here in the storm, it's safe to take precautions." Taskmaster calmly answered.

"Will do." The captain responded as he wrote it down in his notes. "Is there anything else you needed from me?"

"An ear." Taskmaster calmly answered while still facing the map.

"What?"

Taskmaster turned to face his captain. "I'd like your opinion, captain… regarding what we did in Manhattan."

The captain put his notes down on a panel near the display and looked at Taskmaster. "I've nothing to say about it. We did what we did and we failed."

Taskmaster turned to look back at the map, as if losing himself in thought. "I don't know where I went wrong trying to accomplish this simple yet tedious task… I remember nearly two decades ago when Magneto himself asked me to do this task, which was simple at first… find Alejandro Cruz and return him to Magneto… but Fury got ahold of him before I did… making me wonder if locking him away at the Archive was either to truly protect him from Magneto… or protect the world from the threat Cruz posed as the Phantom."

"What are you saying?" The captain asked for him to be more specific.

"You and I have both seen how powerful the Phantom is and what he's become. The mutant is practically immortal. Magneto wanted a mutant like him for a reason. He wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. gone because he _knew_ that S.H.I.E.L.D. _has_ the weapons capability to stop mutants… making them an obstacle…for what?" Taskmaster starting running off his sentences, as though he was just thinking out loud at this point.

"I should've just killed Cruz while I had the chance all those years ago when he was still just a man." Taskmaster finished while slowly shaking his head. "I could've just spared him a lifetime of pain that way… and Magneto would've eventually gotten what he wanted… with or without my help."

The disguised Mystique didn't know what to say to this confession from Taskmaster, so she remained silent while Taskmaster thought to himself about what he had just said.

"Magneto is going to kill me for failing his task and attempting to run away." Taskmaster finally said. "If I can just buy a little more time…"

"… to find Deadpool?" the captain asked, since they were already trying to accomplish that.

"Deadpool's off on his own accord now with Fury… he's not going to allow himself to be found unless he slips up and makes a mistake… even _I _understood that. You think it was easy trying to get him to help me in the first place?" Taskmaster corrected the captain's question.

The captain shook his head. "So what do you plan to do in South Africa exactly?"

"I have my reasons, captain…" Taskmaster vaguely answered. "…with our manpower drastically reduced after the failed attack on the city, we must now concentrate on direct operations that we can use against Magneto."

"You're going after Magneto? Why?"

"I hate S.H.I.E.L.D. as much as anybody else… and I think what we did in Manhattan was the right thing… I'd love nothing more than to see that organization fall. But Magneto and I do not share the same reasons for why S.H.I.E.L.D. should be gone… and Phantom proved to me to be a versatile enemy… with that in mind, one can only imagine what Magneto will do to those twenty thousand subjects we sent to him." Taskmaster made his point. "If I can stop him before he stops me, then perhaps I'll still have some dignity to my name."

"Very well." The captain acknowledged what Taskmaster stated, but he was finished now with what he was trying to say.

"Be ready, captain, for the eye of the storm approaches." Taskmaster darkly told him, the captain dismissed himself from Taskmaster's presence and walked out into the corridors of the ship.

He returned to the secret room with an open terminal and Mystique revealed herself from the disguise of Taskmaster's captain. She locked the door behind her and turned on the terminal to establish contact with Magneto.

After a few moments, Magneto's darkened face appeared on the screen. "I trust you have the information I've asked for, Mystique."

"I do. There is a storm that's headed in our direction so most of the men will stay inside the ship while a small team remains on the top deck to man the machine gun defenses in any case we are attacked." Mystique answered confidently. "The storm is to hit close to dawn."

"Excellent. We'll use the storm's cover to enter in through that way. We'll be en-route soon; Mystique… is there anything else you needed to add?" Magneto calmly asked.

"Taskmaster… He's… he's planning to go after you once he escapes to South Africa." Mystique reported.

Magneto's expression turned into an angered one. "So… he wants to bite the hand that's fed him… fine. Thank you, Mystique… I'll remember this once we find him."

"I'll be on the lookout." Mystique told him as they ended their communications. She turned back into the disguise of the ship's captain and returned to the corridor.

* * *

Phantom opened up the lift to the transport aircraft and entered it; Ava and Peter following close behind. It revealed to be more spacious inside, with a separate cabin in the middle of the aircraft that had six cots on the sides of the cabin with black bed-sheets folded on top of pillows.

**Whoa… now this is pretty neat! This is a totally different kind of transport aircraft I've ever been in, they never had cots for us to sleep in! **

He laid the suitcase, which was Ava's, on one cot, and Peter laid his own on the cot across from it. Phantom switched on the on-board lights which lit up the entire cabin and brightened up more of the features within it.

"This is the main cabin of the _Eidolon_." Phantom stated as he stood at the doorway into the cockpit where they would pilot the ship.

"The what…?" Peter then asked.

"The _Eidolon_." Phantom repeated himself. "If you brushed up on your Greek literature, you might know what it is."

"It's pretty much Greek for 'ghost'." Ava whispered to Peter.

**The names Phantom comes up with… **_**Specter Haven**_**, **_**The Eidolon**_**… It's like one of those clichés where the character makes everything he owns synonymous to himself.**

"Exactly." Phantom heard her. "This was another one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s little knick-knacks that they forgot about for a few years but didn't think to erase its specifications from the Archive."

"Well, _I _knew what an 'eidolon' was!" Peter defensively said as he sat down on his cot.

"Sure you did." Phantom sarcastically replied as he entered the cockpit. "Get buckled up, we're flying out of here in a minute."

Peter looked around the cot and saw that there were these buckles that tied around the waist near the edges. Behind him, on the walls of the interior was this canvas slings made of nylon that could be gripped on. It was obvious now that the cot was multi-purpose for both sleeping and sitting down on throughout the ride.

On the walls of the main cabin near the cockpit were latches that seemed to slide open given the description of an arrow pointing outwards with "OPEN" printed on it, and near that doorway was a very large machine gun. There were two for both sides of the aircraft.

**This isn't really something I'd expect out of a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft… it seems like it's a mixture of military-grade stuff and a bit of S.H.I.E.L.D. tech too. This has Coulson and Agent Hill written all over it, there was no way Phantom could've gotten his hands on this all by himself.**

Ava put away her suitcase underneath the cot and Peter did as well. They buckled down and looked at each other while Phantom sat in the pilot's seat at the cockpit, pushing and clicking away for the ignition of the aircraft.

"I'm glad you brought me along, Pete." Ava told him with a warm smile as she gripped her hand on the canvas. "I'm wondering how this is all going to turn out now…"

"Yeah well, I'm _glad_ you decided to come, Ava." Peter returned the smile. "But anything with Phantom is going to be a crazy ride, you know that."

"True! Who knows? We might find something cool worth mentioning later on when we find Fury."

"Ha, like 'Hey, Nick! Guess what we did! We recruited three very dangerous mutants on this crazy and wild goose chase through the country to help fight Magneto and save all of S.H.I.E.L.D.!'" Peter joked around.

"Then he'd be like 'Oh, this ain't my first rodeo, Parker! I can handle it with my crazy eyepatch!" Ava joked back. The two laughed as they continued their little skit.

**I would've brought any of the other guys too but… for some reason I feel like Ava would be a better voice of reason to have brought along than any of the other guys… especially Sam. Maybe Danny for sure, but hey, I got to pick! I'm just happy to see Ava relax for a minute and see her humorous side.**

"Nick Fury would be proud to see two of his best superheroes mocking him." Phantom sarcastically said out loud from the pilot's seat.

"Come on, Phantom. You got to have some fun with it!" Peter replied.

"This isn't a vacation, Spider-Man." Phantom told him with a strict tone as he continued to prep up the aircraft, silencing Peter. Ava just shook her head sensibly with a look that assured Peter it was going to be okay.

**Jeez, place Phantom in charge of something and he'll make sure you know that it's business first with him. **

"Hang on, you two." Phantom then called from the cockpit. "This is about to get bumpy."

**Oh boy.**

The entire aircraft began to shake as the propulsion turbines on the wings began to roar and emit this light blue propulsion as it lifted itself upwards at a rapid but steady pace. Once it reached a level altitude above ground, Phantom began pressing buttons left and right as though he were some sort of high-speed operator of this insane _Eidolon_. The wings then contracted backwards, forming a "V" like pattern backwards. The turbines then began making a charging noise, as though it was ready to time-warp or something.

**I have a really bad feeling about this… **

Phantom glanced back to both Peter and Ava. "I suggest you hang on with every bit of grip you got." He faced back to the front. "We're about to hit rapid ascension."

…**rapid ascension? *Gulps***

The _Eidolon's _turbines roared as they blasted the aircraft forward at an incredibly high speed, forcing both Peter and Ava to hang on to the black canvas of the seat real tight as it seemed like they were being pulled backwards. The craft rose higher and higher until they reached a high altitude above in the dark night sky within a few seconds.

"Reaching ideal altitude, leveling out, slowing down propulsion engines… activating stealth." Phantom called out loud each action of the aircraft as it began to slow down and fly at a much fairer speed than what it had slingshot itself with initially.

"Holy cow, Phantom! Did we just make a jump into hyper-speed or something?!" Peter exclaimed his question. Phantom had placed the craft on auto-pilot and walked over to Ava and Peter.

"Not quite. That's one of the many features this craft brings. A quick ascension out of an area makes for quick extractions from dangerous areas. It isn't something S.H.I.E.L.D. specifically makes but… I couldn't get stuff done if it was as slow as the rest of the crap they make. " Phantom replied. "Most of the tech is from Stark anyway, this is one of his prototypes that he worked on years ago but… it isn't until now that I've convinced him to continue its design."

"Figures." Peter replied.

**I should've known that Iron Man had a hand in the creation of the **_**Eidolon**_** too. S.H.I.E.L.D. might as well admit all of their merchandise has "Made by Tony Stark" engraved everywhere.**

Phantom sat down on one of the empty cots and looked at both of the superheroes. "I know we haven't had the time to speak after what happened on the helicarrier. We have some time before we reach the Yukon Territory… so now is the best time."

**Understandable, but at the same time it doesn't really bother me that we didn't get the time to speak to him. I was more surprised at the fact he actually lived through what happened.**

"You saved the city, Phantom. Sacrificing yourself in doing so was something nobody could've expected." Ava told him with honesty.

"I just didn't want more innocence dead at the hands of Taskmaster…" Phantom took a deep sigh. "…who has also escaped…"

"It… it was my fault he escaped…" Peter solemnly told him. "If I hadn't just… tried to attack him head-on… maybe you wouldn't have been forced to make a decision to either save me or go after him."

Phantom shook his head. "Don't talk like that, kid. You tried to stop him, and that alone is more admirable than just standing by and waiting for something to happen. I mean, I didn't even know if he had actually killed me when he struck me right in the chest… If I was really dead, I would've expected you to have stopped him."

**I still think if I hadn't been so foolhardy in trying to stop him… then maybe we could've captured him. Now we have him, Deadpool, and Magneto to worry about. **

"I guess you're right." Peter inconvincibly agreed.

"So… what happened on the helicarrier after you got us out?" Ava brought up the question. Phantom pondered it a moment before answering.

"I'm really not at all that sure… All I remember was running to the bridge while the whole helicarrier was falling apart and meeting up with Coulson. I got him out just in time too, but the ship was beyond saving. The engines were blown up, and the emergency propulsion system was failing. I steered it with what little maneuverability it had away from the city and into the Hudson River… and… I just remember seeing the water rush through into the bridge and hearing a huge explosion before I blacked out…" Phantom recollected his memory of what happened that day. "I was almost certain that it was going to take me out."

"But obviously it didn't." Peter commented.

Phantom sighed. "No, unfortunately it didn't. Coulson says I washed up ashore a few hours later… it seems that I was able to at least exit the helicarrier as it sank and I slowly floated to shore. I was in critical condition and my healing factor wasn't kicking in fast enough to repair the damage the explosion had done… so I was in a coma for a few weeks."

**That would explain a whole lot… I'm just glad that Coulson and Acting Director Hill were able to find his body before S.H.I.E.L.D. got to it and took him away for good. **

"Did you heal up all right?" Ava inquired. "Or did the helicarrier permanently damage something?"

"For the most part, it seems that the healing factor did its job for every part of my body. They didn't even have to medically treat me. They just watched as I healed up." Phantom answered. "Surprising, however, was that the medics that worked on me said I arrived with a shattered spine that would've killed a man… I left with it completely repaired."

"Jeez… Would you agree if I told you that you very well could be the cure to a lot of medical problems in the world?" Ava asked him with sincere interest in the matter.

Phantom chuckled at the question. "So would a lot of mutants like me. But, given the state of how things are both behind-the-scenes and in the political realm… people don't like the notion that there are superhuman beings living amongst them. It's unnatural to them, and they don't particularly agree on working with us."

**That might be true… It would explain a lot of the hate reviews I get from JJ all the time… maybe he genuinely hates superhuman characters… or it could just be that JJ just hates me. I'm leaning to the latter for their sake. **

"Is that why Magneto is behind all of this?" Peter curiously asked. "Isn't he some sort of pro-mutant fighter?"

"Magneto obviously has a strong desire to see the mutant race rise above humanity. This is a fight you'd typically hear being told from the X-Men but it's now clear that Magneto wants his fight to be with the whole world." Phantom speculated as he lost himself in thought once more. "Once Specter Haven is formed… I plan on hitting him directly at the heart of his operations."

"Which is…where?" Ava inquired. Phantom snapped back to reality and shrugged.

"Coulson and Acting Director Hill are working on finding out as we speak." He calmly answered. "However, there's also the threat that Taskmaster and Deadpool pose… along with the fact Nick Fury is still missing. Given that, I plan on going to save Fury first."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that." Peter blurted out. "I remember you talked about ending his life and what not… Now, you want to save him?"

**It's a stunning thing to know that Phantom no longer has a grudge against Fury, thank goodness for that!**

"It wasn't his fault that Maria believed I was dead… it was Taskmaster's. He's the direct reason that my whole life was ruined and I spent sixteen years of it in a cell. Fury is being held captive by Deadpool because of me… and that's something I must correct." Phantom was earnest in his words. He stood up and was ready to walk back into the cockpit before Peter asked another question.

"So, let's talk about 'Specter Haven'. Where'd you come up with that name?"

Phantom turned to look at Peter and pondered his answer once more. "I was part of a special four-man S.H.I.E.L.D. team that they called 'Specter Haven' many, many years ago when I was still an agent. We conducted special tasks, reconnaissance and espionage throughout the world during our time. We were immune to bureaucratic 'red tape'. A sort of 'Haven' for those who wanted to do what was right and what was necessary at the time."

"What happened to the original Specter Haven, then?" Ava asked.

"They were killed... There isn't much to really speak about it… S.H.I.E.L.D. never told us who we were after… but it was somebody dangerous for sure. We were compromised… and the next thing I knew… the other three members of my team were dead."

**Man… It's just stories like that that make you see how rough Phantom's had it during his time with S.H.I.E.L.D…. and seeing how Specter Haven ties in with what he wants to do now with these mutants we're trying to recruit… it just makes it all the more worth putting together. **

"I'm sorry." Peter solemnly spoke. "We're fortunate enough that something like that never happened to us in our team but… I'm sorry to hear that it happened to you, Phantom."

"Don't worry about it, kid. It's one of those things you got to move on from… no use staying in the past." And with that, Phantom swiftly disappeared into the cockpit.

* * *

Agent Coulson walked up through into the bridge of the tri-carrier, where Acting Director Maria Hill was reviewing a list of reports on the command terminal. He stood next to her and stared out into the darkness of the night outside the bridge's glass pane.

"How'd it go?" Hill asked, not looking at Coulson while she swapped between displays using her hand on the terminal.

"Good, Parker and Ayala are en-route right now with our special friend." Coulson briefly told her, keeping his voice down as he looked around to make sure no agents were listening in specifically.

Hill stopped what she was doing and looked over at Coulson. "We have a lead on Taskmaster."

"What?" Coulson put down his coffee on the table near the terminal and looked over at Hill's display.

A red blip was displayed in the southeast Atlantic Ocean travelling towards the southern edge of Africa.

"How do you know that's him?" Coulson inquired.

"We don't. But that ship isn't registered by anybody, and we can't get through to their communications link…" Hill swapped the display out and turned to look at Coulson. "We had the same problem with Taskmaster years ago when we tried tracking him down to various locations. But I think this is it."

"I'd keep this out of the wandering eyes and the listening ears around the bridge. We can't afford to let Taskmaster know we're coming… especially with these sleeper agents out and about." Coulson quietly told the Acting Director.

"What do you suggest we do?" Hill then asked. "If we can't send one of our own then who can we send? And I don't think Stark and the rest of the Avengers will like it much to go searching for whoever owns that vessel and come up with a dead end."

"I'll send the rest of Parker's team. Nova, Iron Fist, and Powerman should be able to investigate it, and handle it, should the situation warrant it." Coulson confidently told her.

"Are you certain? Are you sure they can handle this without Parker and Ayala?"

"I wouldn't have brought them up if I didn't think so." Coulson defended his option.

"Very well, I'll leave it to you to brief them and I'll send you the specifications here momentarily." Hill returned her attention to the command terminal.

"Finally, we can possibly get some answers." Coulson picked up his coffee and headed out of the bridge.

* * *

Magneto and his mysterious grey-hooded accomplice watched from a distance as a number of Wraiths were being prodded into an armored transport aircraft outside the facility of where they first saw these creatures up close. It was raining heavily overhead in the darkened night sky, and everybody was prepping up for whatever Magneto had up his sleeve with this operation of his.

"We need to move out quickly if we are to catch Taskmaster once dawn hits and the storm is above them. The element of surprise is at our disposal here." Magneto calmly stated to his ally as he continued watching the Wraiths enter the transport willingly.

"What are you going to do once we find him?" The hooded man curiously asked. "I hope you don't plan on killing him. He could still be of use."

"I don't plan to… but I'm going to make sure he pays for his failure to me, and for his new-found gall to conspire against me. Me!" Magneto angrily answered. "Once he understands the severe error of his way… I'll see what we can do with him."

"Hmm…" The hooded man pondered.

"What?"

"I've been wondering a thought of mine… whether or not you're going to wait until we perfect the serum before continuing to make more Wraiths out of the human subjects." The hooded man sincerely stated.

"I have my people working on it night and day to perfect it. The sooner we have a stabilized solution, the faster we can do what we have always intended to do." Magneto confidently told him. "Imagine it, a world where humanity finally comes to understand our struggle as mutants... imagine it, a world where a young mutant child can no longer be judged upon for having unique talents and feel isolated because of the arrogance of man."

The hooded man remained silent.

"If I can just secure that future…" Magneto continued. "… then maybe there will no longer be a need to fight."

"Hmm…" The hooded man merely ignored all of what Magneto just said and continued to watch the Wraiths being stowed away at last and the transport checked ready to go on Magneto's call.

And so, Magneto and his hooded friend walked through the rain, accompanied by a good number of armed men working for Magneto, to a flight area, where various attack aircraft were already readying their flight systems, and just awaiting for Magneto's word to go.

They met up with Sabretooth and Toad.

"We want to come with you, boss." Toad croaked to Magneto.

"No, I think not. You will be of greater use here, anyway. This is something that I must take care of personally." Magneto assured him.

"I will accompany you." The mysterious hooded man then spoke out. Magneto turned to him in surprise.

"Are you certain?" Magneto asked him with a surprised tone. The hooded man nodded. "Very well…"

Magneto marched through the flight area, escorted by his personal group of armed guards. Not that he needed them, but a few extra arms against Taskmaster wouldn't hurt. He stopped in the middle of the flight area as he looked up at the rainy and dark night sky.

He took a deep breath as he removed his helmet, exposing his white hair and his true face. He then promptly replaced it and continued to his aircraft. He stopped and saw that the craft had his insignia printed on the side of it, a dead giveaway to any who see it. So, he ordered his men to remove the insignia on all the aircraft, to remain undetected for a little while longer once they get there.

"Ready for ascension, move!" Magneto ordered his men into the aircraft before entering last behind his hooded ally.

The attack aircraft, along with the transport carrying the Wraiths, hovered upwards into the sky, before moving forward towards their destination.

* * *

About an hour into the flight, Ava took out her homework and started to work on it while Peter laid back on his cot and started to doze away a little bit.

"What you working on there?" Peter drowsily asked Ava, who kept her gaze on her paper.

"A report for AP U.S. History." She quickly answered.

"Don't work yourself too much..." Peter yawned before turning around in his cot. "I'm going to get some shut eye for a minute."

Ava stopped writing for a moment and lost herself in thought for a moment while looking at Peter, "Hey Pete, what did you think about…?"

He couldn't answer her, he was already out and snoring.

"Oh, goofball." Ava shook her head and smiled as she got up and walked over and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. She then looked over to the cockpit of the _Eidolon_, and saw Phantom's hooded head rested against the pilot' seat. She walked towards the doorway and knocked on the metal of the doorway.

Phantom slowly turned his head to look at her, his eyes glowing white.

"Mind if I come in?" She politely asked him.

"Of course."

_**Ava Ayala, the White Tiger. Besides our encounters fighting Taskmaster alongside the rest of the team, I actually never had the chance to speak to her one-on-one. This should be an interesting talk. **_

Ava sat down at the co-pilot's seat and looked at the control panel and her eyes widened. "This is seems a lot more complex than the controls of a regular S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft."

"It is. But nothing too hard, the complexity is just there to intimidate you." Phantom answered calmly.

"I see. So, I was meaning to ask you, Phantom, do you actually think that these mutants that we're looking for are actually going to agree to come help you against Magneto and what not?" Ava curiously asked.

_**An interesting question.**_

"What's prompted you to ask?"

"I don't know, it just seems a bit impractical and a bit unrealistic that these three individuals are just going to drop what they're doing to come help you. They don't know who you are and they could very well be hostile towards you the whole time." Ava answered using logic as her tool.

_**A likely possibility, but something we'll have to adapt to, should it present itself in that manner. **_

"I'll find a way to… _convince_ them." Phantom assured her. "They've all likely been wronged in some sort of a similar manner that I can relate to, so I'll offer them a chance at redemption."

"What if they don't want redemption?"

"Then I'll leave them alone." Phantom quickly answered.

"Just like that?"

"You can't honestly believe that they'll just resort to nothing at first glance, Ayala. If they have any ounce of a soul in them, they'll want a chance at redemption, because from what the research has concluded is that none of these experiments were voluntary… _I _was the only one that volunteered to be a part of the project that ruined my life." Phantom answered in a more lectured tone.

_**I'm using my instinct for that one… I could very well be wrong but I'm hoping I'm not on this hunch. **_

"All right, all right. I see what you're getting at." Ava stopped asking. Phantom nodded and stared off into the night in front of the _Eidolon_.

"So… How are you and the web-slinger?" Phantom then asked out of the blue.

"We're good!"

"Good… Then I hope your feelings for each other don't get in the way of the mission… will it?" Phantom asked in a demeaning tone.

"I never let it." Ava snapped back.

_**Exactly what I want to hear. **_

"Good, good. But at any rate, I'm glad he did pick you." Phantom assured her. "You're an excellent fighter but a good voice to speak to. I find the same in the company of your companions, but you have reasoning unlike the others. I think that's what the Spider appreciates the most when he's with you."

"Thank you, Phantom… I… I never really thought of it that way."

"Now if only my daughter wasn't such a big fanatic of Spider-Man, then we'd definitely be on a better page." Phantom sighed to himself.

_**If I can continue this damn immortality without knowing my daughter was crazy about the wall-crawler. **_

"Wait, what?" Ava quickly asked.

"It's a long story, but I discovered that Selena has this strange fan craze over your boyfriend over there. At least his alter ego." Phantom chuckled a bit. "I wasn't so surprised as I was that people actually trademark his stuff."

"I didn't know that, actually." Ava seemed a bit perturbed.

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's nothing like that." Phantom assured her.

_**At least, I hope not.**_

"Oh, all right then. How is Selena anyway? I see her around school but don't really talk to her as much as we probably should."

"It's all right. She's fine, her mother and Fernand seem to be faring a lot better, especially after the events that took place a couple months ago. I'm just glad that's just strengthened them as a family and that it didn't cause any real problems." Phantom modestly answered.

"That's good. Bet they're still wondering if you survived the helicarrier crash…"

_**That's what they're all wondering… but I can't expose myself to them… not yet anyway. I want this threat with Magneto done and over with before I can even remotely attempt trying to live a normal life… Maybe Specter Haven will be my new home. **_

"It's interesting because of the mental connection Selena and I share, I can continuously hear her thoughts from time to time… and she always includes me in her prayers… but in a manner that isn't wishing for me to be in a better place… but in a manner wishing me luck wherever I may be…" Phantom lost himself in thought for a moment. "…almost like she knows I'm still alive."

"I'm willing to bet she still thinks you are."

"I don't think even her mother feels that way…" Phantom sighed. "Life is full of obstacles at many crucial points in our lives."

"That it is, Phantom… that it is."

* * *

**Readers,**

I must write to apologize for such a delay between chapters in this story, like I had mentioned in a previous note on the last chapter, this is all due to delays at both work, family life, as well as academic reasoning but it didn't give me the right to neglect the story for as long as I had. I don't intend on abandoning this story at all until it's done, and I appreciate all the readers who have come to place a great interest in the story and the characters I bring to the table.

I'll try to write a little more regularly but until the next chapter (which will be soon, but I don't want to place a time-stamp on it) I just ask to the readers to be a little patient with it. It'll take time with everything going on, but I am grateful for the patience you have given thus far.

As always, feedback is appreciated and I'll write again when I can :) Thanks!


	7. No Loose Ends

_**No Loose Ends**_

* * *

Nick Fury was still chained down inside the large cavern that Deadpool had established his sanctuary in. The cavern was dark, damp, and the illuminated lights flickered in the distance with not a soul in sight. Shadows crept through the hollow and whispering passageways, as though it were filled with ghostly entities that never made themselves seen to the one-eyed director.

His clothes were dirty; dusty from being on the ground for so long. His beard had grown out, and he had felt the loss of sleep hit him slowly as it settled in with each passing day, making him groggier with each day. It had been weeks since he had seen daylight from out of the cavern, but the amount of time he had spent had seemed like it had gone a lot faster than it normally would.

Deadpool was nowhere to be seen, but he periodically made his appearance to Fury every now and then, usually just to hop on his computer monitor that he had down there or to throw Fury a box of rations to keep him sustained on food. But, besides that, he never really came to bother Fury. It was something that Fury was glad for, to be left alone, but at the same time it begged the question as to what Deadpool was really up to.

In recent days, he had heard voices down the corridors of the dark cavern… these voices belonging to Deadpool and an unknown entity that involved talks of trading Fury over to their organization and other topics relating to an attack on Manhattan by Taskmaster and his mercenary army, all that couldn't be confirmed with Fury of course, due to his situation.

The frustration of his predicament had overwhelmed him, and so he ended up laying down on the cold rock floor, and closed his eye, remembering the events that led up to his capture, and his imprisonment down in the unknown caverns…

* * *

_Many weeks ago…_

The aircraft shook as it began its daylight descent over the nation's capital of Washington D.C. Nick Fury, handcuffed, could see the majestic building of the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Headquarters, where its top officials communed, and arguably could be the center of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire organization worldwide. It is where he worked at for some time before being recommended to become the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and with that appointment, many sights were trained on him by the higher-ups who placed him in that position.

As they landed on one of the hover-pads in the facility area, armored S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were there to escort the former director from his transport to inside the Triskelion. Fury was able to see many agents turn heads to see him with surprised and bewildered faces. The agents all knew who he was, and the bigger question now began floating in their minds and spoken in their words, _why is Nick Fury being escorted in handcuffs?_

He was brought forth into a large court-like room within the interior of the Triskelion where the brass of S.H.I.E.L.D. sat on a council whereas a judge would sit. Several other members of S.H.I.E.L.D. sat around the room, but all of higher rank, eager to hear what was to become of the legendary Nick Fury. The room was painted silver with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s recognizable icon at the center behind the council, and every exit covered by an armored agent.

The agents then removed Fury's handcuffs and directed him to stand at a podium in front of the council.

An unfamiliar S.H.I.E.L.D. leader, an inquisitor, took his seat in front of the council. He was a shorter man, with whitening hair and a gray mustache. He wore circular glasses and seemed to have been at S.H.I.E.L.D for a while. He took a smug look at the director and began reading out loud some documents that were in his hands.

"Director Nicholas J. Fury." The leader stated in a feeble and rather high-pitched voice. "You have been brought forth today by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s higher assisting leaders on the accusation of allowing wanted terrorists to attack and board a helicarrier. Charges also include the murder of several S.H.I.E.L.D. members who were assigned to investigate those said attacks on the helicarrier that _you_ were placed in charge of. What have you to say of these accusations?"

The entire court-room fixed their eyes on Fury, who looked none of the least pleasant about this. He took a deep sigh of grief before speaking.

"I've done nothing but serve S.H.I.E.L.D. loyally." He spoke. "I've served S.H.I.E.L.D. in its darkest of times, and have never thought to turn my back on the organization. Everything I've done for the duration of my service has done nothing but to protect the interests of S.H.I.E.L.D. first. And here I am, after decades of service, being prosecuted on the allegations brought forth by this council? I demand you seek your reason and find it, because in my absence, these 'attacks' that you believe I'm responsible for will continue, by the _real_ criminals behind it, at the cost of more lives. I can _assure_ you of that."

The court-room began a small uproar of whispers.

"Evidence brought forth by the investigation team reveals that _you_ were the one who brought down the lockdown protocol of the helicarrier just as the terrorists attacked, were you not?" The inquisitor aggressively asked.

"Yes, I was but.."

"And were you not also the one who allowed the wanted fugitive and former agent Alejandro Cruz, refuge on-board the helicarrier, who has since carried out attacks towards the organization? Was he not the one who claimed was working _for you?_" The inquisitor continued to throw questions at Fury.

"If you're too blind to see that I'm being wrongfully accused then the real problem here lies with you _and _the council!" Fury finally snapped back. "I have never had a reason to attack S.H.I.E.L.D., and even if I did, I would've done so a long time ago!"

"Mr. Fury, calm yourself!"

"No, _you_ calm yourself!" Fury angrily told him before addressing the entire court-room. "You all _know_ who I am, what I've done for this organization, and _should know_ that I would _never_ betray it as this excuse of a leadership has claimed I have! The more time we waste on this hearing the more lives will be lost if we don't find a way to handle this threat that has emerged!"

"And what threat is that, Mr. Fury?" The inquisitor curiously asked.

"I'm talking about the threat that lies with the Phantom and his newfound allegiance with Taskmaster and his mercenary force!" Fury finally spoke. "There is much more at stake here, with the entire organization at risk. I don't know what's going to happen next, but if we don't act quickly, _we'll _be the ones to blame for this!"

"Interesting…" The inquisitor spoke in an unamused tone. "…But irrelevant at this time, Mr. Fury, you will now be taken to holding until we can arrange a date for your trial and in the meantime, you can find a representative willing to fight your case. Dismissed."

The entire courtroom erupted in chatter as the armored agents handcuffed Fury and directed him to leave the courtroom. They then escorted him down to the lower levels of the Triskelion and down to the holding cells where they keep their unruly.

Fury sat in his holding cell, sighing greatly out of grief and anger for what the organization had done to him. These accusations were formulated out of nothing, out of pure imagination but presumably out of the greed from the corrupt brass that wanted nothing more than a reason to see Fury kicked out of his position as Director.

He laid down on the small cot the cell provided, and closed his eye in slumber.

Fury re-awoke in present time in Deadpool's cavern at the sound of constant clicking; he slowly turned his head to see Deadpool typing away in a maddening pattern at the computer monitor that was down there. He seemed to be playing some sort of video game.

"To the rift of the summoner we go!" Deadpool happily stated as he played around on what seemed to be some sort of online video game.

"Ugh…" Fury rolled his eye and turned back over.

* * *

_Back on the Tri-Carrier…_

"Come on!" Sam yelled at the TV screen on his video game. "There is no way they're taking us out this quickly! Damned Vex…"

"51… 52… 53… 54…" Luke counted his repetitions with every dumbbell he lifted on each arm. "…55... 56… 57…"

Danny just sat silently on his meditating mat, keeping the incense limited to his small area. "Calm, the soul must be. Relaxed, my mind must be…" he chanted to himself.

This was just another typical late-night evening for the team after an intense exercise in the training simulator. Their little lounge room had become their refuge from the wandering eyes of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents up on the Tri-Carrier. Without Ava or Peter, it was just a lot quieter than it would usually be. Ava would usually be on her studies and Peter would be helping Sam break through another boss on his video games. It was a bummer, but the team knew how to handle their absence.

The door to the lounge then suddenly slid open and Coulson entered, placing his coffee on the nearby table. "Team, we have a mission to do." He got to the point. But to his surprise, the three just kept doing their activities as though Coulson had never even entered the room.

"Booya! Leveled up!" Sam happily exclaimed. "But I still got to beat this boss!"

"94…95…96…" Luke kept counting.

"Team!" Coulson raised his voice, prompting them to finally notice him.

"What's up, Coulson? Got your shoelaces tied up in a knot again?" Sam joked as he turned to see Coulson. He removed his headset and put down the controller.

"Ugh, _as I was saying_. We have a mission to do, team; we got a _lead_ on Taskmaster." Coulson informed them quickly, ignoring the jokes.

"What's the deal?" Luke put down his dumbbells and cracked his knuckles. "We finally got that guy cornered?!"

"We've located a ship off in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean that hasn't been registered on the oceanic traffic database, and it's too large to be pirates or wanderers. We've tried to communicate with it, but the traces it's giving off match those of what we've encountered when we tried tracking down Taskmaster." Coulson answered him. "This is the best lead we've gotten in a while… and we need the team to investigate."

"_Us_? What about the Avengers? Why don't you make _those_ guys go do it? We're short two on our side!" Sam pointed out. "I mean we're good without them but… we're not great."

"I agree. Coulson, we are not ready to face off Taskmaster again." Danny concurred. "…especially without Ava or Peter…"

"Noted, but the point is we can't send in the whole Avenger team to deal with a greatly diminished Taskmaster force." Coulson emphasized. "…Well, we can't send them in without confirmation that it's Taskmaster, at least. The situation would need to be greater to form them back up at once."

"Do we have a _choice?"_ Sam crossed his arms.

"It's either now or we risk losing Taskmaster… and I don't need to remind you what Taskmaster has done…" Coulson brought up the memory of Taskmaster's devastating attack on the helicarrier. "We need to find all those people he took with him, Sam."

"We'll do it." Luke assured him. "Just point us to the right direction."

"Ready up and meet me in the briefing room in ten minutes." Coulson ordered them as he picked up his coffee and promptly left the lounge. The trio looked at each other before leaving the lounge into the corridors of the Tri-Carrier to get to their rooms to change over.

"Ugh… Here we go again on another wild goose chase." Sam sighed. "Thanks for volunteering us, big boy."

"You honestly want to let Taskmaster get away?! After what he's done?!" Luke defensively asked Sam.

"No, I don't…Now, don't get me wrong, but we're just not ready to take him up on it again. You must be crazy to believe we can take him down with just the three of us… Well… It can be done but…" Sam lost his train of thought.

"I think what he is trying to say is that without Peter or Ava, we are not as strong as before." Danny interpreted.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I'm saying! You saw how bad we were when the team was separated when Taskmaster first started his little attack on the city! We got to stick together!" Sam pointed out. "We're stronger that way!"

"But we've got to do what we can, that's what we're here for, after all. We can't depend on having each other around all the time; we got to learn how to fight when it's just _us!_" Luke argued.

"He is right." Danny concurred as he looked at Sam, who rolled his eyes.

"Oh, fine." Sam's powers switched his Nova armor on. "Just hurry up and suit up so that Coulson can give us his little brief and we can go do what we got to do!"

The other two quickly suited up in their gear and they all walked through the hallways, past the agents, to the conference room, where Coulson was already waiting at the end of the table, where Fury would sit before briefing the team. They sat around in their respective spots on the table.

"Any clue as to when we'll be able to get Fury back?" Nova curiously asked.

"Hopefully we'll find that out once we get ahold of Taskmaster." Coulson answered as best he could, while obviously reserving his own opinions. "Our priority, however, is to find those civilians that have disappeared from the attack…"

"So that means not soon enough…" Powerman paraphrased.

"Look, we're all hurting here, team. I want Director Fury back as much as you all do, both Acting Director Hill and I are working on it as best we can… but the sooner we can get to the bottom of all this, the faster we'll get Fury back and the faster we'll get all those people that were taken back." Coulson confidently stated to the team.

"All right… Well, then give us the rundown, Coulson." Nova told him. Coulson nodded as he darkened the room and a holograph of the world appeared. It had a red blip in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean.

"We've triangulated the ship's location to this part of the world. After the confusion of the attack, we had a full registry ordered of all the ships in transit from the eastern United States in order to create a database to start our search for Taskmaster with." Coulson stated. "We are led to believe based on our interrogations with his captured mercenaries that Taskmaster escaped the helicarrier, fled the city, and headed south down the coast until he was able to escape on one of his battleships with some of his men."

"So he thinks he can run away, that coward." Iron Fist commented. "He will not be able to run far."

"Exactly, so we found this ship that didn't match any registry records and is currently headed straight into a tropical storm system in the area. We can't conclude anything else other than this has to be Taskmaster; it's the only logical lead we've come up with. We can't confirm it but we can definitely send in a team that can investigate. So we need to act with haste if we are to catch Taskmaster in time before this storm hits." Coulson informed them.

"What about Deadpool? Any leads on him?" Iron Fist then asked.

"No, as far as we're concerned, Deadpool didn't escape the same way Taskmaster did… His untimely break-in at the Triskelion proved that. He hasn't issued any ransom requests or any other means of communicating to us what he wants in exchange for Fury… So unless we can guess his location, he won't be seen to us until he wants to be seen." Coulson sighed as he answered.

"Hmm… Any idea what we can expect if it's really Taskmaster on-board that ship, Coulson?" Powerman asked, with reason, being the fact they were being attacked by mechs last time they contended with Taskmaster. The option was to avoid another fight like that.

"His mercenary force has been greatly cut down. You should have no problem in dealing with the stragglers he has on-board." Coulson answered. "As for Taskmaster… Use your imagination as to how you guys want to deal with him."

Nova dashed a grin.

"What about Magneto? Should we be expecting him?" Iron Fist curiously asked. "I think we can handle Taskmaster, but I am not so sure about somebody like Magneto…"

"Who the heck is Magneto anyway?" Nova blurted out his question. "Sounds like some sort spicy taco sauce!"

"_Magneto_, Nova… is an extremely powerful mutant. We have little to no records on him here, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Archive has a mountain of records dating him as far back as the Cuban Missile Crisis and other events following that." Coulson gravely informed him. "We're trying to speak with the X-Men about their assistance on the matter, but if you do encounter him… Just call for back up, and _try _not to fight him directly if you can."

"That _sure _makes me feel better about doing this." Nova sarcastically stated. "I guess I'll just go _pew, pew, pew _on him until the cavalry arrives then."

"You'll all be taking aerial transport to the ship here momentarily and _I'll_ monitor your progress from here in the conference room. I don't want anybody else besides Hill and me to know about this operation. We can't risk any spies in our ranks to blow the whistle over to Taskmaster just for him to escape again via other means." Coulson stated in a small display of paranoia on his part.

"I think you're more worried about spies in S.H.I.E.L.D. than you are about Taskmaster, Coulson." Powerman joked. "You got to relax, man."

"Don't even get me started on that." Coulson sighed. "At any rate, do you three have any questions for me?"

"If I think of something… Eh, never mind, I'll find the answer eventually!" Nova sarcastically stated with a grin underneath his helmet.

"Good, then you've been briefed, team. Be safe out there and remember, you're still a _team_, even without Spider-Man or White Tiger for the moment." Coulson assured them.

The team got up from the table and walked out of the conference room, leaving Coulson inside.

"Jeez…and I wanted some shut eye tonight too…" Nova yawned as he hovered alongside the team.

"Hmm… I wonder what Pete and Ava are doing right now…" Powerman wondered.

"Probably making out in a corner somewhere or being chased around by ancient aliens with swords and floating wizards." Nova humorously answered.

"The things you come up with… it is not natural… It is very disturbing." Iron Fist pointed out. "Perhaps you should get your head checked, that helmet must be distorting your thinking."

"That's about the nicest way of calling somebody dumb I've ever heard out of anyone!" Powerman laughed.

* * *

_On the Eidolon…_

Ava continued working on her homework, glancing over to the cockpit of the ship every few minutes to see if Phantom was still awake or if he had drifted off into another one of his "lost in thought" moments, which is what he had been doing the whole time throughout the flight shortly after they talked. _The Eidolon_ was on auto-pilot, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway whether or not if he was conscious to control the aircraft.

Peter was still asleep, but she wanted to talk to him, not as a teammate but his actual _girlfriend_. She didn't want Phantom to see all that now, just for him to go and lecture them about the importance of the mission again.

However, once she saw that Phantom had finally drifted off, which was noted by his head lazily bobbing sideways on the chair, she got up from her cot and walked over to Peter. She sat next to him and leaned over him. He had his face covered by his pillow.

"Gotten enough sleep?" She softly asked him as he slowly removed the pillow with his eyes open. He quickly shot up from his sleep.

**Jeez… How long was I out?**

"Man… I feel… groggy… Did I sleep for long?" Peter asked Ava in a grouchy tone. She started to straighten his hair, since it was all over the place from sleeping.

"Not long, we've only been in flight for a couple of hours. We still have at least a few more to go." She answered him as she looked out of the window into the darkness of the night.

**Well… if I can say **_**one **_**good thing about this ship of Phantom's… is that it has some really comfortable cots. I slept like a baby. I needed that rest!**

"Is Phantom still up?" Peter turned to look into the cockpit to see Phantom's hooded head continuously bobbing sideways like an infant who hasn't had enough sleep. "Oh… Well I'm glad to see our pilot is… asleep."

**At least the ship is on auto-pilot…I hope… otherwise put me back to sleep!**

"He's been doing that throughout the whole flight." Ava pointed out.

"Is he all right?" Peter started to get up to go check but was stopped by Ava pulling on his hand. "What is it?"

"I'm sure he's okay but _I wouldn't_ go disturb him." Ava told him cautiously. "You know how he once said that he doesn't actually 'sleep'; he just loses himself in a 'moment'? Well… he's been having an intense moment over there."

**Hmm… Now that must be a sight to see! I've always wondered what the heck Phantom does to get some shut-eye. I always thought of him like a vampire, just running off into his little coffin to "sleep", but not actually sleeping… like maybe all he does is regain energy for the day while remaining awake and… I don't know; maybe play on his phone or whatever somebody like him does on his free time! **

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen him charge up his bracers while he's been out. It's almost like he's reliving a memory of his or something." Ava clarified. "He keeps mentioning Selena's name and Maria's too."

"Jeez…" Peter shook his head. "It must be hard for him to be moving on like this…"

**It would be best to steer clear of him then, at least until we get closer to the destination… which I hope he's awake for because I don't know the first clue as to how to fly **_**The Eidolon**_**. **

"Anyway… how's your homework?" Peter asked attentively, changing the subject.

"It wasn't _too_ bad." Ava shrugged. "You know me, there's _nothing_ I can't handle when it comes to homework, especially history."

"Yeah, well, I'm still pretty good at everything science-related." Peter humorously pointed out with his arms crossed. "But _you _already know that!"

"_Yeah right! _You _still_ needed my help on the last homework assignment we had from Anatomy!"

"Because I was busy being a superhero, of course!" Peter laughed. "No time for homework for this web-slinger when he has a city to save!"

"Don't forget, I'm just as busy as you are at saving the city!" Ava defended herself, continuing on with Peter's joke. "…and I _still _make time to finish my homework."

"That so, _Miss Ayala_?" Peter suggestively asked as he ran his hands over to hers.

"Yeah, that's definitely so_, Mr. Parker_…" Ava answered in a softer tone, with a blushing smile, turning over to him on the cot.

**I love it when she does that… There you have it folks, White Tiger isn't all mean and tough as she pretends to be sometimes!**

"Well, I bet you can't handle that _Parker charm_ you keep egging me about."

"Ha! It's not that hard…" Ava had her arms around his shoulders as Peter held her by her waist and they both stared into each other's eyes.

"All right then… try me. Just… _try_ not to go all tiger on me." Peter humored her.

"I'll do my best." Ava softly said as she held his face and leaned in to kiss him.

They kissed passionately, almost like a long-awaited kiss the two lovers had been dying to have for a long time. She leaned forward on him, laying him on his back on the cot while Ava was on top of him, kissing him ever so eagerly, with both their eyes closed in the heat of the romantic moment…

"Ahem…"

The two heroes stopped and looked over at the cockpit. Phantom stood with his arms crossed at the doorway, with his eyes glowering bright white at the two, his fingers tapping with each second in a show of disapproval.

**Aww man! First it was Aunt May, now it's Phantom! Except this time we were actually doing something when they caught us!**

"Oh! Phantom! You're up! I didn't…!" Peter stumbled as the two lovers got up and let go of each other. They both sat upright on the cot. Phantom shook his head as he walked over sat down on Ava's cot, across from them.

"I don't sleep, _remember?_" Phantom sternly reminded them. "_And _I have eyes on the back of my head…"

**Well… I don't know about **_**all that…**_

"Uh… I'm not sure about that, now." Peter answered. Phantom sighed.

"You know what I meant, kid."

"We weren't trying to _do _anything, Phantom." Ava sincerely told him, even though both her and Peter knew they were up to no good on their own.

"I'm not here to babysit you two…" Phantom coldly stated. "Just remember what we're _doing_ here, we're on a mission, don't let your emotions get in the way of it and we'll have no problems… and also… _get a room_… not on my _Eidolon_."

**I'm glad he didn't explode about it…That's what I thought was going to happen.**

"Don't worry, we got it." Peter assured him.

"That remains to be seen." Phantom answered back in a distrusting tone. "At any rate… We'll be at our destination soon; however, if you both have any questions about what we might be expecting out there in the middle of the Yukon Territory… and with Bruce Melle… then ask now."

**The urban legend guy, the "hunter" mutant, Bruce Melle… I mean, I don't know what to think about it as of right now, but he's technically older than Phantom in age right? Surely he's got a lot of wisdom and knowledge up his sleeves, hopefully it can help us in the fight against Magneto… or he could be a very old and shrewd hermit that will kill us all… hopefully not the latter.**

"Is there anybody we can talk to once we land?" Ava inquired. "The more information we get on this guy, the better."

"There is a town I wanted to investigate before we start making our way into the forest. I'll need locations of where they've sighted him. Once we have a lead, we'll start looking." Phantom answered to the best of his ability. "His profile seems a bit cryptic, a lot of files missing… His project _is _older than mine… I was surprised we were even able to find a location on him."

**Now don't get me wrong, Phantom seems to know what he's doing but we haven't asked **_**what if**_** he's wrong. What if this guy's already dead and we wasted our time coming out here? I mean, just being realistic here, no need to panic just yet. I'm not going to ask him that now, he seems to get stingy when someone questions his lead.**

"Hmm… How bad is the weather down there?" Peter asked looking out the window into the simple darkness of the night again.

"Cold. The kind of terrain that we'll be traversing won't make the search any easier. Make sure you both are wrapped up in warming layers… You're looking at below freezing temperatures as the night settles in the region… best to heed the warning first before the bite of the frost."

"What about you?" Ava curiously asked.

"I've got my own source of heat, don't worry." Phantom assured her. "I've worked in extremely cold temperatures before… Just make sure you both don't turn into icicles before we find our man… I'd hate to have to thaw you two out and then explain to Coulson what happened to you both."

**Very funny, Phantom. **

"You think we might run into Magneto or Taskmaster while we're out here?" Peter brought up the question which caused Phantom to ponder it for a moment.

"Hmm… Unlikely. However, anything's possible."

**He pretty much said 'I don't know' in the longest way possible!**

"Try to rest up a little further. I'll call you both once we're near." Phantom told them as he got up and walked back to the cockpit before he stopped and looked back at the two. "…and don't let me catch you mixing business with pleasure back here again."

"_It wasn't like that!_" Peter defended himself.

"…Notice how I said _don't let me_ catchyou…" Phantom reiterated with a tone of humor in his voice before sitting back down in the pilot's seat. "Seriously, though, don't do it."

**For somebody as moody as Phantom he sure knows how to add his piece of dark humor into everything! At least he's being a good sport about it.**

* * *

_Somewhere in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean…_

Dawn had arrived, and the tropical storm had hit the ocean with strong winds and shifting waves that rocked Taskmaster's armored ship back and forth with each minute that passed out in these treacherous seas. Because of the low design of the ship, the decks were cleaned away by the waves with each passing, keeping the interior of the ship intact, however. A small team of soldiers were kept at the machine gun mounts at the top of the ship by the captain, and they took shifts to keep themselves dry.

Taskmaster sat in his control room, the bridge of the ship, where all the information was continuously flowing through at the hands of the few remaining specialists he had, which was little to nothing now. With the bulk of his trained mercenary force gone and his cells in the eastern United States off the grid, he was drained of resources and running out of time.

"I can't believe the attack came to an end so quickly…" He whispered to himself as he covered his masked face with his hand, continuously hanging his head low about his failure to complete the task. "I had it… all under control."

He took a deep sigh as lifted his hand off and turned to look at a radar map of the storm. They were passing into a large massing of heavy rain, but the ship was built to last against the perilous waves. He wasn't too worried about that.

"We need to get out of the Atlantic quickly…" He whispered to himself.

"Taskmaster." His captain greeted him as he entered the control room.

"The storm is brewing heavy, captain." Taskmaster simply told him. "Once it's over, we should be well on our way to our destination at the disclosed port in South Africa."

"Agreed." The captain nodded as he took a look at the radar map surrounding the ship. "So, nothing new then, Taskmaster?"

"Nothing yet, captain." Taskmaster took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Nothing…yet."

Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard. Taskmaster opened his eyes and saw that little red blips were approaching the ship through the radar.

"What…?" He couldn't believe it. "Men! Identify those readings!"

"Aircraft incoming, Taskmaster!" One of the specialists said out loud as they read through it. "I don't have identification on them!

"No… impossible!" Taskmaster quickly turned to his specialists. "Give me visual of the aircraft!"

The specialists quickly brought up a video link to the outside of the ship on the monitor. Everything was barely visible with the rain coming down hard, but through the strikes of lightning in the darkness, six unidentified aircraft were closing in, fast.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" The captain asked while Taskmaster still had his eyes pinned on the visuals.

"No…" Taskmaster turned to his specialists once more. "Lock-on with on-board cannons and take them out of the sky!"

The specialists obeyed and quickly launched six large missiles towards each of the incoming craft. They headed off straight towards them, but suddenly veered and reverted course sideways as though something had magically moved them out of the way.

"…No…" Taskmaster stumbled backwards in shock. "It's Magneto…"

The forward aircraft began firing down upon the ship with energy beams, all while the machine gun soldiers on the top deck were shooting back at them. But the fighter craft were quick, flying fast past the guns and swiftly turning around to launch another string of energy fire upon the soldiers. The hail of fire swiftly took out the video feed.

"Sound the alarm!" Taskmaster ordered as he withdrew his ancient sword. "Get everyone out to the top deck, we're not going out without a fight!"

"…and a fight you shall have…" The captain mysteriously said to Taskmaster. Taskmaster turned to see the captain transform into the blue-skinned, red-haired mutant, Mystique. She smirked at him as she swiftly kicked him across the face, disorienting him and causing him to fall to the floor.

"Mystique…" He spat out as he got back on his feet. "I should've known Magneto had planted his snake in my ranks…"

The masked specialists quickly grabbed their weapons and trained their sights on Mystique, who merely grimaced at the obviously untrained masked men. They were trembling as they held their rifles at her, waiting on the order to shoot by their Taskmaster.

"Go aid the soldiers on the top deck, men!" Taskmaster promptly ordered them. "I'll take care of this one…"

They quickly obeyed and ran out of the command room, the alarm sounded off shortly after. The entire ship knew now that they were being frontally attacked by this powerful enemy, and the remaining force of Taskmaster's mercenary army headed up to defend the ship from the attackers.

"You made a mistake by making Magneto your enemy, Taskmaster." Mystique ran towards Taskmaster and dodged a swing from his sword and kicked him in the groin, grabbing his arm and disabling him. She threw the sword away but he shoved her off as he got into his stance.

"Argh… I never made him my enemy!" Taskmaster tried to defend his stance. She went after him again but this time he was able to mimic her combat pattern and dodge her hand attacks effectively, just barely missing her swift roundhouse kicks.

"You said that you were planning to go after him next!" Mystique out-dodged his counter-attacks and punched him straight in the stomach, punching the air out of him. "You of all people knew that Magneto was going to find you!"

The hull of the ship trembled with each attack that the top deck was facing. Taskmaster knew he was running out of time before Magneto tore through the ship. He had to find a way escape. He kicked Mystique off long enough to grab a smoke grenade on his utility belt.

"Try finding me now!" He promptly smashed it on the ground, releasing a large cloud of white and noxious smoke in the entire command room. Mystique began to cough as she struggled to look for Taskmaster through the smoke.

"Come back here!" Mystique called, continuously coughing as Taskmaster made his escape out of the command room and up to the top deck.

* * *

Magneto stared down below down at the attack on Taskmaster's ship. A small grin dashed across his darkened face underneath his helmet for his apparent triumph over the rogue mercenary's forces. He turned to glance over to his grey hooded accomplice who was watching the onslaught alongside him, his eyes studying and surveying the Wraiths very closely.

"The time is here, my hooded friend… Release the Wraiths." Magneto ordered his men. They obeyed as they radioed the Wraith transport craft to head in.

The Wraith transport craft veered lower to the edge of the ship's deck while trying to avoid bullet-fire. Once they leveled out with the ship's top deck, the doors to the transport opened.

_Attack them. _Magneto issued out his order to the Wraiths.

Taskmaster's soldiers watched in horror as more than two dozen of the pale and grotesque Wraiths came crawling out of the doors, running straight towards the soldiers and disappearing before making contact.

The first group of soldiers were quickly knocked down and ripped apart by the Wraiths. The screeching creatures then regrouped and attacked another team of soldiers. It was almost they like were cooperating with each other, cornering each man, and killing them efficiently as they took each one down and violently tearing them apart to shreds before disappearing into nothing again.

The bullets cut through their skin but it made no difference in their performance, they continued to attack the men in the heat of the storm through the grisly and bloody top deck of the ship. They followed the order of their master, to _attack_. Stripped of humane responses, these Wraiths only knew how to obey.

"Excellent…" Magneto said under his breath. "They are performing better than I expected…"

His aircraft hovered several feet up in the air over the ship to have a bird's eye view of the situation as the rain came down heavy over the deck, washing away the blood and bodies of the defeated soldiers off into the darkness of the crashing sea.

Taskmaster finally reached the top deck to see the massacre that was taking place. His men, soldiers and specialists alike, were falling one by one, like dominos, to these strange monsters that Magneto had released. They disappeared and reappeared before each soldier right as they ripped their bodies apart with their claws and teeth.

"No… " Taskmaster looked up and saw the recognizable helmet of Magneto's leaning over the side of his transport. "Magneto!"

Taskmaster turned to run away from the slaughter and ran towards the front of the ship to attempt finding an escape, but stopped as a group of the Wraiths began giving chase to him.

Magneto wasn'tgoing to let him slip away so easily. He jumped off his transport and gently fell through the air as he allowed his levitating ability to keep him afloat. He swiftly used his magnetic powers to tear right through the center of the top deck, creating a huge gaping hole into the interior of the ship. This allowed the Wraiths to swarm in and kill the rest of Taskmaster's on-board crew. Mystique was able to escape the ship's breach in time, returning her attention towards Taskmaster.

_Return to me…_ Magneto ordered his Wraiths before setting his sights on Taskmaster.

"You can't hide from me, forever, Taskmaster!" Magneto called out as he levitated closer to Taskmaster. "You have failed me, dearly…"

"To hell with you, Magneto!" Taskmaster grabbed his energy pistols and tried to shoot Magneto with them but he quickly used his powers to remove them from his possession and throwing them overboard.

Magneto moved closer until he was levitating a few feet in front of Taskmaster, next to Mystique. "I told you, I'd come for you if you failed me…"

Taskmaster balled his fists as Magneto landed in front of him, towering over the hooded mercenary with his intimidating presence. Magneto's piercing blue eyes stared right through into Taskmaster's mask, filled with anger and disappointment.

"Go ahead… Finish it!" Taskmaster was done for, and he knew it. His anger had no match for what had befallen him. "I'm done… I got nothing left!"

"No… You're still worth something to me…" Magneto threateningly told him. "You're coming with us…"

"No…I'm not…" Taskmaster then made the attempt to attack Magneto head-on with a forward punch, but was stopped dead in his tracks by Mystique, who kicked him down hard onto the deck face-down… shattering his mask into pieces.

* * *

"Sir, we have an unknown craft flying towards us." The pilot informed Magneto's hooded ally. He walked over to look at the pilot's radar to see an individual blip on the radar coming towards them.

"S.H.I.E.L.D…" The hooded ally quickly responded. "I'll take care of it…"

And just as they expected, a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport jet came flying into the area, ejecting three individuals out.

* * *

"Whoa! Did we miss the party?!" Nova exclaimed as he flew down to the badly damaged ship. Iron Fist and Powerman landed on the top deck of the ship and looked up at the sky at the unidentified aircraft flying around.

"Looks like someone beat us to Taskmaster…" Powerman commented. "Be careful, team…"

"This…doesn't look good." Iron Fist pointed out the river of blood flowing from the bodies of the dead soldiers as the rain washed it off the deck.

"What the hell…?" Powerman was speechless as he knelt beside one of the bodies to examine it. "Who would've done this…?"

"…or rather what?" a voice said from behind them. The team turned around to come face-to-face with Magneto himself. He stood several feet behind them, only his eyes visible underneath the helmet to them.

The team quickly readied themselves in their combat stance.

"You must be Nova, Powerman, and Iron Fist…" Magneto identified each one of them. "I've heard _so much_ about you three… including your friends, Spider-Man and White Tiger…"

"You must be that creep, Magneto!" Nova quickly snapped back. "So _you're _ the one that created Phantom…"

"Ah… Phantom… a misguided soul, to be sure. However, he was merely… a tool… used to achieve an even _greater_ goal." Magneto answered condescendingly. "He is irrelevant to this conversation, I assure you."

"Let's cut to the chase… We're here for Taskmaster, where is he?" Powerman demanded.

Magneto glanced over to his side and saw Mystique dragging Taskmaster's unmasked and unconscious body by his legs. Taskmaster's face wasn't visible, since his hood still covered his head. But it looked like he had taken a rough beating, judging by the blood on the white of his cloak.

"I was beginning to worry that he had slipped out of our reach, but… luckily it didn't come to that." Magneto pointed out. "He didn't complete a task for me, you see…"

"We are under S.H.I.E.L.D. orders to take him with us; he is a wanted fugitive and is responsible for the attack on Manhattan." Iron Fist informed Magneto.

"Oh, I know of his actions… But I'm not going to hand him over…" Magneto motioned for Mystique to drag Taskmaster away to one of the transports that hovered low to the top deck of the ship. "He failed me… and so he must now pay the consequence…"

"Failed you how?" Powerman asked. "You're not making any sense."

"…and your name sounds like a spicy taco sauce!" Nova pointed out. "I mean seriously, I can make some serious cash with _Magneto Authentic Hot Sauce!_ You got to change that up, dude…"

Iron Fist sighed. "We've established this already, Nova…"

"Foolish you all are, to have involved yourselves this way… but no matter… It'll be the end for you all soon, anyway." Magneto turned to follow Mystique to the transport.

"Now wait just a darn second!" Nova tried flying over to stop Magneto but was quickly stopped as a grey hooded figure appeared before the team out of thin air, right behind Magneto as he followed Mystique into the transport.

"Who the heck…?" Nova and the rest of the team took a good look at the hooded man.

He wore a grey hood; it was greatly faded as though it was formerly a darker shade. It extended down into a torn and ragged cloak. His face was covered by a black facemask and his eyes glowed a bright red. He was completely covered in what appeared to be a worn black armor plating with strange symbols and markings on his shoulder-plates. His hands seemed to have an electric form of power… however it had a red tinge to it.

"Nova… Powerman… and Iron Fist… What a pleasant surprise…" The hooded man greeted the three of them in an unamused tone. "I see the spider and his beloved tiger aren't here to help you… along with the Phantom."

"You know of us? Tell us, who are you?" Iron Fist inquired.

"You one of Magneto's lackeys? Because I can spot a lackey when I see one…" Nova pointed out. "You have _lackey _spelled all over you!"

The hooded man reached for his back with both hands and slowly pulled out dual swords in front of the team in a show of threatening appearance. "Our paths have crossed somewhere in time… a time not so long ago, actually… but… a long time ago for me…"

"Who are you?!" Powerman angrily asked. "Why are you helping Magneto?!"

"The answers to both questions… are beyond your comprehension, I'm afraid…" The hooded man shook his head slowly. "Leave this place… or I'll find a way to persuade you to."

"We'll take our chances!" Nova rushed in and attacked the hooded man with a large array of energy beams, but he quickly dodged them.

The hooded man shot a red electrical lightning strike from his fingertips, quickly electrocuting Nova and taking him down to the deck with a strong velocity, followed by several sparks of red lightning to the downed Nova… knocking him out in the process.

Powerman charged at the hooded man, but he then suddenly disappeared out of Powerman's way.

"What the?..." Powerman looked around, confused. Suddenly, the hooded man appeared behind him and kicked his legs forward, buckling Powerman to his knees. He then raised his swords, as though ready to behead him.

"No, you shall not!" Iron Fist quickly stopped him by punching the hooded man across the face, punching him multiple times across his body using the full energy in his fists, able to disorient the hooded man.

But he quickly regained his concentration and put his swords back in their sheaths and placed his fingers on his head, as though trying to communicate telepathically.

A rush of voices entered Iron Fist's mind, all yelling and screaming. This caused him to lose his focus and grab his throbbing head. "Argh! What is this?!"

"Iron Fist!" Powerman rushed over to Iron Fist's aid, giving the hooded character enough time to escape.

"Until next we meet…" The hooded man bid his farewell in a sinister tone as he disappeared into nothing, off the ship. The team soon realized that small battle was to buy Magneto and Mystique time to take off with Taskmaster.

The six aircraft that Magneto had brought with him began to leave the area. Iron Fist stopped hearing the voices, and they both came to the aid of Nova, who didn't look good after that electrocution.

"Did I ever tell you guys… that I hate fighting guys that can go invisible and shoot electricity?..." Nova moaned in pain. "Just wait until Phantom hears about this…"

"Coulson." Powerman raised the Tri-Carrier on his communicator as he watched the aircraft disappear into the darkness of the storm.

"Powerman! I've been awaiting your contact… Do you have Taskmaster?" Coulson anxiously asked through the communicator.

"We don't… Magneto beat us to him." Powerman solemnly answered as he looked down at Nova, who seemed to be paralyzed. "We'll need some help down here."

"I'm on it." Coulson hesitatingly responded.

* * *

_Somewhere, in the dream-scape…_

Phantom sat in the middle of his dream-scape, on the grass of the familiar island that he had always known for his whole existence as the mutant that he was now. The skies were cloudy, but the sun still illuminated the realm. He closed his eyes and meditated on the thoughts that surrounded his daughter… through the mental connection that existed between her mind and his… studying her complex thinking.

_**She's much smarter than I ever was at her age. She uses a critical thought skill that allows her to analyze things past than what is presented at first… a kind of 'sixth sense' to know that not everything she sees is what it seems. **_

He visited her memories of when she was a little girl, next to her mother's side. A small smile crossed his face as he was able to recreate her memories in his dream-scape, and opened his eyes to see a small five-year old Selena sit up in her small bed in pink pajamas as Maria read her a bed-time story. Selena listened to her attentively with each word as she read aloud the story of _Beauty and the Beast_.

_**A fitting story… Maria always loved that story. **_

Phantom stood up and walked over to the memory that was occurring, and watched as Maria continued to read the story out loud.

"'This is the day your dreams come true!' Gaston confidentially said to Belle." Maria read aloud. "'What do you know about my dreams, Gaston?' Belle asked…"

"'Plenty!' Gaston told her. 'Here, picture this then: a rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my little wife massaging my feet, while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs. We'll have six or seven.' Gaston offered."

Phantom couldn't help but to grin as he heard Maria continue the story for Selena, who seemed ever so eager to hear the story. It was as if Selena valued her story-time with her mother. Maria then found a good stopping point in the story where she placed a bookmark on the page and closed it.

"I can't wait to hear more tomorrow!" Selena happily exclaimed to her mother.

"Don't worry, we'll get farther in the story tomorrow, sweetie." Maria stood up and placed the book on a bookshelf across from Selena's bed. "But you need to sleep before it gets too late!"

"…But where's daddy?" Selena asked in a sad tone. "He promised he'd be here to say goodnight today!"

_**Fernand… **_

"I know, honey. Daddy had to be called to the office tonight; he said he'll make it up to you…" Maria tried to reason with her.

"It's not fair!" Selena pouted. "My daddy needs to be here! He doesn't want to be here and neither does my real daddy!"

Phantom took closer note of what Selena had said as the conversation continued.

_**So it's true… Maria did tell her about me after all…**_

"Now you know that's not his fault, Selena! Your real daddy would've wanted nothing more than to be here with you!" Maria defended him.

_**If I had known… If… If they hadn't taken me away I would've been there every night… No matter what… **_

"Then why isn't he here!?" Selena began to tear up. Maria sat down on the bed next to Selena and hugged her.

"No, don't cry, sweetie!" Maria tended to her daughter. "You remember what I told you, honey... He's here… just… you can't see him! He's here in spirit!"

"…Really?" Selena eyes began to clear up. "But I thought the bad men took him away!"

It was apparent that Maria fought hard to keep herself from crying in front of Selena as well, trying so hard not to relive the memory of the night she lost Alejandro.

"Yes, but he's still here!" Maria told Selena. "Just… he's invisible right now! But he's still here with you… watching over you!"

Maria pointed over to Phantom from the memory. "He could be right there, and you wouldn't even know it!"

_**Oh, the irony of the situation…**_

Selena's smile returned. "Then I'll go find him!" She jumped off the bed and grabbed a flashlight that was underneath her bed, quickly turning it on. "I'm gonna go find my real daddy!" She ran off, smiling with the flashlight forward.

"No! Selena! It's time for bed time!" Maria ran after her as the memory faded out of sight.

Phantom took a deep sigh as it faded away, a small tear rolling down his mask from his eye.

_**I wasn't there to raise my child… my daughter. I missed a chance at parenthood, as well as being a good husband… Why?... Why was I stricken with so much grief?!**_

He wiped away the tear and turned to walk over to pillar that returned him to consciousness, when he saw a shimmering memory of Taskmaster standing before the pillar.

_**What the…? What is he doing here?**_

Taskmaster approached Phantom with a slow walk, but with each step, his appearance evolved. Blood splattered all over his cape and hood, and his mask shattered as he stepped right in front of Phantom, exposing his real face. He faded once Phantom took a good look at what had happened to him.

_**I see. **_

_**Somebody took care of that loose end after all…**_

Phantom continued to walk towards the pillar, and escaped back into reality once he exited his dream-scape…

* * *

Another chapter posted, and a longer one at that! I hope you all enjoy the content on this one and I should be posting another here within the week or two! :) As always, feed back is appreciated friends!

Also, **nightwing 1**, guest reader, **Yes**, I do intend to create this into a trilogy of sorts but I'd like to see how far _Specter Haven _fares before I make my decision to do so! Excellent question, and thanks :)

Until the next chapter,

**Aferus**


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